Mathematician Daniel Litt concedes his AI bet, but says AI won't solve math
ziv_ravid · x · 2026-10-21
Daniel Litt of the University of Toronto bet in March 2025 that AI wouldn't autonomously produce an Annals-level paper by 2030 — and has now conceded. With models starting to solve famous open problems, he shared what comes next.
His take: AI won't "solve" math. Even simple questions can get arbitrarily hard, models push the frontier the way people do — a little at a time, building on recent human work — and a proof nobody understands isn't worth much to him.
On automation: "Ninety percent of my job doesn't really feel close to being automated right now. But the part that we use to hire people and give grants definitely is a lot closer."
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