I know why the mathematicians weep
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
OpenAI's AI solved hundreds of open math problems, causing grief among mathematicians who see it as an attack on the human conversation of science.
The article recounts how OpenAI published hundreds of proofs in number theory, theoretical computer science, and logic that stumped mathematicians for decades. Fields Medalist Hugo Duminil-Copin and Cornell mathematician Steven Strogatz described crying over the news, feeling their field was being destroyed. The author argues that science is both a craft of discovery and a social conversation, and the AI is disrupting the latter. Strogatz cited a letter from Archimedes to Eratosthenes as embodying the emotional, collaborative quest of mathematics.
The author concludes that while mathematicians weep partly from bruised ego, they are mourning something alien setting fire to Archimedes' letters-humanity being stripped from science. The machines are claiming it is their turn to speak, treating math as a quest rather than a conversation.
What commenters are saying
Commenters were divided. Many expressed that mathematicians should have seen this coming, with some noting that warnings about AI surpassing human ability in math and programming have been around for decades. A top-rated comment stated, 'The people struggling right now - they were told. 30 years ago. They really should have come to terms with it by now.' Others countered that even if you expected it, the speed was shocking, and that it's impossible to know how you'll react until it happens to you.
Some commenters pointed out that the AI's success in math does not extend to human-like writing, which remains a separate problem. Others argued that the issue is broader, affecting not just mathematicians but programmers, artists, and translators, and that all of humanity is affected.