Mathematicians sign declaration to rein in AI use
Mathematicians sign declaration to rein in AI use A group of researchers have proposed rules to prevent artificial intelligence from overpowering humans in math By Leila Sloman edited by Clara Moskowitz Last month many mathematicians were shocked by OpenAI’s announcement that
A group of researchers have proposed rules to prevent artificial intelligence from overpowering humans in math
Last month many mathematicians were shocked by OpenAI’s announcement that artificial intelligence had solved geometry’s famous “unit distance” problem .
For some, the achievement was exciting. But researchers also worry that AI technology, if left unchecked, will change their field for the worse. To address those fears, a group of mathematicians, computer scientists, and math historians have released guidelines to prevent AI from steamrolling their discipline.
Among their most important prescriptions: disclose the use of AI in research , ensure all papers are peer-reviewed and level the playing field between academia and for-profit companies through, for instance, legal resources and public funding.
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The mathematicians have been working on the document since last fall, when around 60 researchers and policymakers convened at Leiden University’s Lorentz Center in the Netherlands to discuss how technology will affect mathematics. At the top of many attendees’ minds was the accelerating stream of proofs written partially or entirely by AI.
Used responsibly, AI “can be extremely useful and helpful,” says Ilka Agricola , a mathematician who chairs the Committee on Publishing at the International Mathematical Union (IMU)—the foremost organization for global mathematics. “Unfortunately, this positive aspect is kind of getting small compared to the huge mess around it.”
Journal editors’ inboxes are filling with more AI proofs than they can vet . Large language models regurgitate human ideas, often without attribution. Some fear for the integrity of research itself. They worry that values like transparency and accessibility, which mathematicians have long prioritized, are in danger.
