Mathematician littmath: AI may make most papers unread even by their authors
littmath · x · 2026-11-15
Mathematician Daniel Litt on the future of academic work in the AI era
Litt argues that papers will decline dramatically in value as their production becomes easy to automate — the median paper may end up being one that no human, not even the author, has read. It's unclear how traditional academic institutions (journals, metrics) should adapt.
He points to two existing but rare models in mathematics as alternatives:
- Courses built around one's research, with accompanying notes
- Research seminars with proceedings, à la Grothendieck's SGA seminar
These formats keep humans in the loop and build in mechanisms that ensure participants actually gain expertise.
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