Welcome to the AI crisis in math
It caused a huge debate in the math community, and Rob spent some time talking to some of the most accomplished mathematicians of our time about it.It’s funny that AI systems are all still pretty bad at elementary school arithmetic, but getting increasingly good at very high-end abstract math. That raises some big questions for the field of advanced math.If AI can do math of this caliber, does that mean AI labs can transfer those skills to other domains? This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
- ▪It caused a huge debate in the math community, and Rob spent some time talking to some of the most accomplished mathematicians of our time about it.It’s funny that AI systems are all still pretty bad at elementary school arithmetic, but get
- ▪That raises some big questions for the field of advanced math.If AI can do math of this caliber, does that mean AI labs can transfer those skills to other domains?
- ▪This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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| Original publisher | The Verge |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theverge.com/podcast/982434/ai-math-openai-astra-existential-crisis |
| Publication time | 2026-08-20T10:00:00-04:00 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-20T14:10:06.305Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-20T14:10:06.305Z |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
PodcastsClosePodcastsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PodcastsAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AITechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechWelcome to the AI crisis in mathThe Verge’s Robert Hart on why new AI discoveries have left the math world ‘shell-shocked.’by Nilay PatelCloseNilay PatelEditor-in-ChiefPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Nilay PatelAug 20, 2026, 2:00 PM UTCLinkShareNilay PatelCloseNilay PatelPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your…
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