Can AI Create New Math? Researchers Clash Over Lean Dependence
gerardsans · x · 2026-10-19
A debate broke out over whether AI can produce genuinely new mathematics. gerardsans argues that so far the claimed "new math nobody understands" is nowhere to be found: AI can't actually connect the dots because it fully relies on the Lean proof assistant, making it useless for explaining why a solution works.
His interlocutor countered that new math has always been possible. gerardsans pushed back with an analogy — losing your car keys, you might try drones, a dog or a fortune teller, but reality stays the same — arguing imagination is running wild. The exchange touches on the real limits of formal verification in AI mathematical reasoning.
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