Can maths survive AI? Fields medallist Terence Tao calls for a ‘Maths 2.0’ world

What happened: Advanced AI models are producing proofs for hundreds of long-standing maths problems at speed, and Fields medallist Terence Tao calls for a "Maths 2.0" era in which proof scarcity no longer defines the field. Key numbers: Hundreds of long-standing problems have received AI-aided proofs in the past few months. Why it matters: Human understanding is falling behind because AI generates results faster than mathematicians can absorb them, and AI-generated models used in loan decisions and market risk could malfunction in ways people cannot foresee.

Advanced AI models are producing proofs for hundreds of long-standing maths problems at speed, and Fields medallist Terence Tao calls for a "Maths 2.0" era in which proof scarcity no longer defines the field.

Human understanding is falling behind because AI generates results faster than mathematicians can absorb them, and AI-generated models used in loan decisions and market risk could malfunction in ways people cannot foresee.