Terence Tao Slams AI Math as 'Strip Mining': Navier-Stokes Work Now 'In Disarray'
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-11-01
Terence Tao's issue with AI doing math isn't proof correctness — it's how problems get solved. He says activity around Navier-Stokes is now "in disarray"; the field will recover, but the approach was "very suboptimal." He distinguishes a responsible way of solving problems that develops a field from an emerging "automated strip mining" that hits immediate goals while damaging the field's future. Mathematicians, he notes, wanted AI as a calculator, not a competitor. Full interview on New Scientist's YouTube channel.
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