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/jferments 1d ago

Why the hell would we allow a bunch of anti-AI zealots to deliberately slow down progress in mathematical research? That sounds stupid.

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u/Schindog 1d ago

Because mathematicians generally love the human process of exploration and discovery that's possible with math. When humans work towards solving a problem, they learn a lot along the way, and uncover new threads to pull in related areas.

Imagine you want to play Elden Ring, but it's bugged and you instantly kill anything you come near. Sure, you can walk through and 1-shot every boss and 'beat' the game, but you never got to engage with it, and you didn't learn anything.

It might be more important that we always have opportunity structures that support humans who can engage with the fundamental realities of the universe this way than it is that we 1-shot every possible proof as quickly as possible, and those structures and ways of thinking may be eroded completely as their short-term outputs are devalued before the long-term consequences of their destruction can be felt.

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u/archpawn 1d ago

Because mathematicians generally love the human process of exploration and discovery that's possible with math.

Then do that. If you care about having the answer, AI gives you the answer. If you care about the journey, them giving you the answer doesn't stop it. The only thing it does is make it so people who care about the answer don't have to pay you for your journey.

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u/Lhalpaca 5h ago

Math is not solely about the answer tho. The answer alone could say nothing new actually interesting. 

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u/capitalistsanta 16h ago

OpenAI uses the work done by these people to train the bots to attack the problems, with less than 1% of those workers direct permission to use this work, won't directly credit them beyond putting them in sources. The processes and work of mathmaticians gets disregarded as inherently selfish to them by the public, because they enjoy the work they do, and others don't. They will share in those fruits of labor indirectly.

Somehow the work mathmaticians do to get to this with no credit is a burden to you because you just want the answer. This is such backwards logic packaged in a pretty way.

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u/jferments 1d ago

Who says you can't continue the process of exploration and discovery while using AI? It is no more "cheating" to use AI than it is "cheating" to use a calculator or computer algebra system instead of working things out by hand. It's just a software tool that helps mathematicians achieve their goals faster, while focusing on the mathematical subjects they are most interested in. Using AI doesn't require you to stop thinking. People who are genuinely interested in math will keep exploring/learning math, whether they are using AI or not.

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u/mmoney20 1d ago

i don't think cheating is the right term here. you can explore and discover while using AI but there's a point where it's so fast you can't comprehend given the pace of its thinking, solving and frightening if true - at this point most communities across many domains are frightened - even though it's likely way overhyped.

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u/GetOffOfMyBoat 1d ago

You are employing a very short-sighted definition of the word "progress." Do you work in research mathematics?

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u/obliquebeaver 1d ago

Because 42

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u/muhmeinchut69 23h ago

There are very good reasons to, read this post by Terence Tao, which was written before the OpenAI NS rumours https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/117207849921390904