The AI Daily Brief · Tuesday, September 15, 2026
A group of 25 Fields Medalists, led by Terence Tao, have published an open letter expressing concern that AI companies' pursuit of solving mathematical problems as benchmarks is detrimental to the field of mathematics. They argue that this approach prioritizes rapid problem-solving over conceptual understanding and the long, collaborative process of scientific discovery, potentially undermining the broader goals of academia.
“Over the last few months, mathematical capabilities of LLMs have improved dramatically. To the point that they can solve major outstanding problems in many fields of mathematics. However, the push by AI companies to solve mathematical problems as a benchmark is detrimental to the science of mathematics and to the mathematical community.”
“The goals of the AI companies and the goals of the mathematical community are severely misaligned.”
“Solving problems is only a tool and proxy for achieving the primary goal of conceptual understanding and insight. Forgetting this in the world of AI may turn the tool against the primary goal.”