Terence Tao: math is now AI labs' benchmark, and AI proofs are 'toxic waste'
haider1 · x · 2026-10-24
Mathematician Terence Tao argues that AI labs need tests to measure model improvement, and math problems are almost the only thing left to train on: "our field's biggest prizes and goals have now become their benchmarks." As a byproduct, AI is generating terrible proofs — great results, but no care for elegance, for who understands them, or for what comes next. In the source interview he goes further, calling AI's treatment of beautiful mathematics "toxic waste": Silicon Valley's rush to solve long-investigated conundrums reduces maths to raw training material and excludes elegant solutions.
Related event: Terence Tao warns AI race is turning beautiful math into "toxic waste"(4 posts)→
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