Terence Tao: Math 2.0 [pdf]
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Tao argues AI is shifting math from proof scarcity to abundance.
Terence Tao describes the transition from "Math 1.0" to "Math 2.0", where AI's objective verifiability, digitizability, and high-quality data enable proof abundance. He warns indiscriminate AI use for problem-solving damages long-term math health; the more sustainable use strengthens human understanding. Examples include Equational Theories Project (22 million statements), Inverse Galois Problem challenge, open exposition problems, ablation studies, and living networks like IEANTN. The bottleneck is imagination, not technology.
What commenters are saying
Commentators challenge Tao's cancer-cure thought experiment, noting many medicines lack understood mechanisms yet are accepted (e.g., general anesthesia, paracetamol). Some argue clinical trials verify efficacy regardless of understanding, and a cure would be taken. Others see AI turning math into an empirical science like biology, risking intellectual conformity and formalism, while yet another camp supports AI as a tool for rapid learning and exploration, despite likely errors.