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AI for math resources, and erdosproblems.com

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Re: AI for math resources, and erdosproblems.com

#3
post #2

What does AI for Math mean? People doing Math research that want to transition to AI research?

Broadly, as you'll see in the Google doc linked from the announcement, they are referring to the use of computer systems to assist mathematical research, which falls into a two step process: 1) Identify a suitable language for use by both humans and computers for communication and manipulation of mathematical theorems and their proofs. 2) Employ both mathematicians and machine learning algorithms to generate interesting sentences in that language.

Re: AI for math resources, and erdosproblems.com

#5
post #3
post #2

What does AI for Math mean? People doing Math research that want to transition to AI research?

Broadly, as you'll see in the Google doc linked from the announcement, they are referring to the use of computer systems to assist mathematical research, which falls into a two step process: 1) Identify a suitable language for use by both humans and computers for communication and manipulation of mathematical theorems and their proofs. 2) Employ both mathematicians and machine learning algorithms to generate interest…

That makes a lot more sense, thanks.

Re: AI for math resources, and erdosproblems.com

#6
post #2

What does AI for Math mean? People doing Math research that want to transition to AI research?

I’m generally a bit of an LLM skeptic, at least as concerns extravagant claims around “AGI” or self-improvement of any of that nonsense.

But there are activities where an inherently high-temperature assistant (e.g. some Instruct-inspired tune) are a great fit, and those are almost definitionally at the boundary of “objectively faithful” and “a bit stochastic”.

I’ve never done any work in novel mathematics myself, but I’m a big fan of those who do, and any study of those who do paints a picture of roughly that boundary: those who are proficient can easily spot a falsehood but only with difficulty generate inspiration for a new idea.

Of all the highly optimistic applications for 2024 LLMs, mathematics sounds pretty plausible?

Re: AI for math resources, and erdosproblems.com

#9
post #2

What does AI for Math mean? People doing Math research that want to transition to AI research?

I’m generally a bit of an LLM skeptic, at least as concerns extravagant claims around “AGI” or self-improvement of any of that nonsense. But there are activities where an inherently high-temperature assistant (e.g. some Instruct-inspired tune) are a great fit, and those are almost definitionally at the boundary of “objectively faithful” and “a bit stochastic”. I’ve never done any work in novel mathematics myself, but…

FWIW as a former mathematician, I believe that if LLM’s can crack mathematics in the sense of say, solving the Riemann Hypothesis through chains of logical reasoning, then we’d be in the back half of reaching “AGI” in the sense of solving broad classes of general problems like drug discovery, or getting fusion to work, or even improving itself.

Re: AI for math resources, and erdosproblems.com

#10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m generally a bit of an LLM skeptic, at least as concerns extravagant claims around “AGI” or self-improvement of any of that nonsense. But there are activities where an inherently high-temperature assistant (e.g. some Instruct-inspired tune) are a great fit, and those are almost definitionally at the boundary of “objectively faithful” and “a bit stochastic”. I’ve never done any work in novel mathematics myself, but…

FWIW as a former mathematician, I believe that if LLM’s can crack mathematics in the sense of say, solving the Riemann Hypothesis through chains of logical reasoning, then we’d be in the back half of reaching “AGI” in the sense of solving broad classes of general problems like drug discovery, or getting fusion to work, or even improving itself.

Oh sure, I think that’s pretty uncontroversial. An LLM that can with any consistency start at “prove or disprove P = NP” and arrive at a proof is in some sense super-intelligence.

Even the best funded boosters are making no such claims AFAIK, I think a much more reasonable and sober assertion might be like “they are useful to doing real mathematics”.

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