Leading mathematicians warn: rushing to formalize all of math with AI could do lasting damage
AlexKontorovich · x · 2026-10-19
Jeremy Avigad, Kevin Buzzard, Johan Commelin and four other mathematicians published a guest post on the xenaproject blog laying out a cautious stance on AI in mathematics.
- They recognize the power of new technologies for mathematical reasoning and are generally optimistic about AI's role in the field.
- However, they are deeply concerned by recent calls to formalize everything as quickly as possible.
- Their argument: done well, a large-scale coordinated formalization effort could enormously expand mathematical exploration and discovery; done poorly, it would at best waste resources — and more likely cause lasting damage to the discipline.
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