OpenAI's 700-paper release changed mathematics forever, and mathematicians should stop mourning
Mathematics has changed. Let's act like it
Frank Calegari argues that OpenAI's October 6 release of over 700 research papers marks a watershed for mathematics, and that the field's unhappiness is misdirected. Drawing on the classification of finite simple groups, he shows that solving famous problems can cool a subject without ending it. Rather than lament, mathematicians should use AI to pursue bold programs, reward problem-choosing over proof-rushing, and reshape hiring and publishing accordingly.
The difference in reaction between the optimists and the pessimists is that, for the pessimists, the game is over. For the optimists, the game has just changed.