GoKawiilMathematician Álvaro Lozano-Robledo urges students to stay the course amid AI anxiety
In a guest post on Terence Tao's blog, mathematics professor Álvaro Lozano-Robledo responds to a distressed undergraduate who questioned whether a career in math academia is still viable given rapid progress in large language models. The student, who described feeling at a loss about career trajectory and even the meaning of life, asked whether academia would remain open to passionate but not exceptionally gifted students. Lozano-Robledo frames his post as advice to reassure students making near-term decisions about their futures.
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The exchange reflects a broader anxiety among young researchers that AI systems capable of advanced mathematical reasoning could shrink opportunities in academic math careers. Lozano-Robledo's choice to publish the student's message suggests, in his view, that many students are quietly grappling with similar doubts and need guidance from established mathematicians. The episode also signals how AI's rapid progress is reshaping expectations around traditionally human-dominated academic fields like pure mathematics.
- A math undergraduate wrote to Lozano-Robledo questioning the future viability of academic math careers amid AI progress.
- Lozano-Robledo published the message and his response as a guest post on Terence Tao's blog to reach a wider student audience.
- The post highlights urgency, noting students are currently making career decisions under this uncertainty.
Source: terrytao.wordpress.com — Terence Tao, 2026-10-09
Published there as: “What should we tell our students?”
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