According to foreign media reports, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pointed out in a speech at Stanford University that many mathematicians have shifted their attitudes from initial pessimism to acceptance of AI's inseparable role in numerical and proof research. Altman believes that the impact of AI on the field of mathematics is the fastest that people have ever seen.
Altman likened this process to mourning: the first day is a state of disbelief, "We're done, this field is over, let's have graduate students change majors"; by the third day, there may be anger, "OpenAI is doing this is terrible"; by the fifth day, many would express, "I will have a different path, but hope for a better career in mathematics." Altman's optimistic assessment stands in stark contrast to what some in the mathematics community describe as a "survival-level transformation."
OpenAI's influence in the field of mathematics continues to grow
In September this year, OpenAI announced that its model solved the famous Navier-Stokes equation problem. Subsequently, two scholars accused OpenAI of using data from their chat records to help crack the issue. Additionally, some mathematicians complained that while AI models may have solved the problem, they did not show the derivation process, leaving mathematicians with only the verification work. This controversy has not subsided, as a group of undergraduates from the California Institute of Technology initiated a "Mathematics Marathon" encouraging the use of AI to solve long-standing unsolved problems, with over 700 scholars signing an open letter condemning the competition for promoting low-quality AI content, leading OpenAI to withdraw its sponsorship.
After adjusting the rules, the competition is scheduled to take place in November.
Terence Tao, a mathematical genius from the University of California, Los Angeles, also expressed concerns. He stated that the "romantic era" of mathematics is over, and top scholars are adapting to new processes for verifying AI's results rather than solving problems independently. This month, OpenAI announced it had solved over 700 problems, and Tao remarked, "Some things are being lost." Altman, however, stands on the other side of the debate, maintaining an optimistic view of disruption. When discussing how AI prompts companies to reorganize their workforce, he stated, "I don't think there will be an employment apocalypse." However, in the field of mathematics, Altman believes the impact is occurring faster than in other disciplines and industries.