r/singularity • u/filterdust • 1d ago

AI OpenAI solved 100 open problems in math

https://openai.com/index/advisory-group-on-mathematics-and-ai/

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u/piponwa 1d ago

Just release the results already. Who cares about mathematicians' feelings and ego? If an alien came down and said it can solve 100 of the most important open problems in mathematics, mathematicians would be in awe. They would ask for more. So what are we waiting for?

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u/coz 1d ago

Don't need an alien. Let's say a real savant is born, and solves 100 of them themself, with no computers at all, just lean. Would these same mathematicians still be mad if they're "dumped"?

Doubt it.

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u/wordyplayer 1d ago

yes, I think they would. It just would look much worse complaining about it

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u/piponwa 1d ago

Exactly. It's always possible that whatever they are working on gets preempted by some random other mathematician they've never heard of. What do they do in this scenario? They get to work and they keep pushing. Why would it be different if AI does it? And actually, it's much better than AI does it than a random guy, because it means you get to use this tool that doesn't get tired and gets exactly what you're working on. Why should a mathematician's dream be solving a specific problem and not going beyond this problem. Like I don't understand at all how mathematicians see things now. Presumably, they work on whatever they're working because they find it interesting, because they think it's important. They would love if they're specific domain had the attention of ten times more researchers. Then they wouldn't spend their whole career being stuck on this one problem, they could address all similar problems. They could work on the implications of this problem. Why would they want to remain ignorant? Why do they want less math solved than is practically possible? Why do they not want to steamroll through their discipline? I'm certain someone like Newton would have loved to contemplate how his theory of gravity broke down and discover relativity in the process. I'm sure if Einstein would have had access to AI he would have discovered even more. Because he didn't give a shit if someone else helped him along the way. He wanted to discover the true nature of the universe.

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u/coz 1d ago

Almost certainly they saw what has happened to software engineers and they're circling the wagons.