Tao's calls for respect for provenance in mathematics publication are laudable but most likely naive given the closed nature of frontier model training data curation. Anthropic and OpenAI may react with a symbolic and short-lived olive branch, yet provenance is a larger issue that has impacted other fields beyond mathematics. While traditional respect for lineage in mathematics is of value in the academy, industry and science at large will likely be much more Machiavellian about concern for attribution. Mike McCoy's recent article is also timely (https://mbmccoy.dev/posts/mathematical-conservatory/). The parallels to the music conservatory are quite telling -- academic music describes a musical culture in preservation that has completely lost touch with musical developments beyond the early 20th century. Mathematics may very well evolve separately and with very different values than the academy upholds. The crisis of music at the academy is a cultural disconnect and a serious loss of critical analysis add acknowledgement of widespread music practice; however, for mathematics, the impact would have much more severe ramifications for education and human development if the academy forces a schism with AI. As models improve they very well may be inventing mathematics -- science and engineering may grasp for them -- they may exist with or without attribution. Would be a shame for the academy not to take on the responsibility of stewardship of coming mathematics, including provenance, because of this misalignment.
A Misalignment of AI in Mathematics
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Re: A Misalignment of AI in Mathematics
#12In the Economist article Tao links, Hugo Duminil-Copin, draws a comparison: airdropping someone on the summit of Mount Everest is very different from climbing it. The fundamental issue with AI solving any perceived difficult problem is that we have lost the journey. The sight atop Mount Everest looks much different when you have climbed compared to being dropped from above.
Sure, but actually what's the issue? You can still climb. If one do it for the sake of the journey, not some side quest to fame, glory, and social prestige, the mountain is still there.
Maybe the one that lament that the sacred mountain should be left alone and be kept pristine of human arrogance and pissing territory can complain
Re: A Misalignment of AI in Mathematics
#13Tao's critique of AI in the field of mathematics reminds me of what French art critic Charles Baudelaire said in the 19th century about photography [0]. Baudelaire argued that photography became a haven for failed painters, the sorts of hacks that could not finish proper training. Photography, as a mechanical rendering of the world, could only record what already existed; it couldn't transform reality the way a paint…
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