OpenAI uploaded more than 700 AI-generated mathematical manuscripts to a public preprint repository in early October, claiming new mathematical results pending verification. Mathematicians have criticized the papers as sloppy and hard to verify, noting no human author is credited to take responsibility for the arguments, and OpenAI has not signed the Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics, which calls for clear citation and disclosure practices.
nature.com
· 2026-11-06
A new Show HN project called Hacker Times reskins Hacker News content in a New York Times-style layout. Among the stories surfaced is a guest essay on Terence Tao's blog by Karthik C. S., Amit Sahai and Jie Xue, arguing mathematicians should value understanding over competition with peers or AI systems.
hackertimes.ca
· 2026-11-03
A guest post by Karthik C. S., Amit Sahai, and Jie Xue examines how the rise of AI should prompt mathematicians to reconsider the purpose and value of their work. The authors contrast two philosophical views of mathematics—invention versus discovery—using an analogy to paleontology to argue that creative effort does not negate the independent existence of mathematical truth.
terrytao.wordpress.com
· 2026-11-02
A mathematics-focused newsletter post reflects on how the projective plane is traditionally introduced in topology courses through abstract constructions like edge-gluing a square or identifying antipodal points on a sphere. The author argues a more intuitive route is representing plane points as (x, y, 1) with (x, y, 0) denoting points at infinity, a technique the author says resembles what graphics programmers independently arrive at. The piece is framed as commentary accompanying recent posts in the author's newsletter.
johndcook.com
· 2026-11-02
In a guest blog post, mathematician Frank Calegari responds to OpenAI's October 6 release of over 700 research papers, arguing the dump marks a turning point showing AI can make real contributions across mathematics. He criticizes the papers as poorly written, sometimes wrong, and inattentive to norms of attribution, while urging mathematicians to focus on what they can control—hiring, publishing, and training—rather than lamenting corporate behavior.
terrytao.wordpress.com
· 2026-11-01
The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, copied by the scribe Ahmes, records a title page explaining its origins and a series of mathematical tables and problems, including a 2/n table converting fractions with odd denominators into Egyptian fractions and a 1–9/10 table of similar conversions. Ahmes states he copied the work from an older source dating to the reign of a previous king, situating the document within a long scribal tradition.
en.wikipedia.org
· 2026-10-30
OpenAI announced new AI-generated results in mathematics, computer science and physics, including a claimed resolution of the Kakeya conjecture in all dimensions. The company said it consulted external expert 'shepherds' to decide how to release each finding, publishing the math output directly, planning to assemble researchers to explain the computer science result, and deferring entirely on releasing the physics work. A mathematician who reviewed the Kakeya claim called it 'well supported' but said he had not fully verified it.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-27
In an October 2026 blog post, writer dynomight recounts how large language models progressed from being 'toys' in 2024 to tools many now consider essential for mathematical work by early 2026, changing dramatically within months of late 2025. The author estimates current AI tools make their own 'doing math' process about 50% more productive, even though AI can complete some tasks in minutes that once took hours.
dynomight.net
· 2026-10-26
In a Numberphile interview, mathematician Terence Tao said the field is moving from 'proof scarcity' to 'proof abundance' as AI systems generate proofs faster than humans can fully absorb their reasoning. He compared this shift to the industrialization of other professions and called for norms of etiquette, likening unrestrained AI competition in math contests to outsiders jumping into a marathon to beat the runners.
unintendedconsequenc.es
· 2026-10-22
Fields medallist Terence Tao says AI models have produced solutions to hundreds of long-standing maths problems in recent months, outpacing mathematicians' ability to verify and absorb them. He notes OpenAI released hundreds of proof solutions online on 6 October, disrupting ongoing research programmes, and warns that many AI-generated proofs lack clear documentation or proper attribution of prior human work.
nature.com
· 2026-10-22
A group of mathematicians and formalization specialists, including Jeremy Avigad and Kevin Buzzard, published a guest post responding to calls—spurred by a recent OpenAI release—to use AI to formalize all of mathematics quickly. They say they are optimistic about AI's potential but worried that a rushed, uncoordinated effort could waste resources or cause lasting harm, and they outline conditions for doing large-scale formalization well.
xenaproject.wordpress.com
· 2026-10-16
A guest post by physicist Rikab Gambhir, published on a blog, criticizes a trend of AI labs like OpenAI releasing huge volumes of machine-generated mathematical or scientific claims, comparing the practice to Borges's fictional 'Library of Babel' that contains every possible text, true or false. The post argues these outputs are often unverifiable or low-value despite being marketed as scientific breakthroughs, referencing an October release from OpenAI of around 700 claimed mathematical results.
terrytao.wordpress.com
· 2026-10-15
GoKawiil