What the mathematicians don’t want you know
November 8, 2026 at 3:43 PM
What the mathematicians don’t want you know
A group of young mathematicians found the solution to the long unanswered conjecture, first inspired by juggling, through randomness and friendship.
A 55-Year-Old Math Problem Was Solved—This Time by Humans
A group of young mathematicians found the solution to the long unanswered conjecture, first inspired by juggling, through randomness and friendship.
buff.ly
November 8, 2026 at 10:34 AM
A group of young mathematicians found the solution to the long unanswered conjecture, first inspired by juggling, through randomness and friendship.
More scientists, engineers, mathematicians, teachers and community leaders.
Less lawyers, businesspeople, and entertainers.
Less lawyers, businesspeople, and entertainers.
November 8, 2026 at 11:41 PM
More scientists, engineers, mathematicians, teachers and community leaders.
Less lawyers, businesspeople, and entertainers.
Less lawyers, businesspeople, and entertainers.
Even mathematicians cannot conceive of the number of times we are going to hear about “warriors”, “lethality”, and “woke leftist ideology” during the impeachment hearings.
Ok, ok.
“If his congressional opponents vote to impeach him, Hegseth will seek to use the confrontation as a platform to aggressively defend his agenda, which includes the war with Iran, the ouster of senior military officers and rolling back past diversity policies.”
www.wsj.com/politics/heg...
“If his congressional opponents vote to impeach him, Hegseth will seek to use the confrontation as a platform to aggressively defend his agenda, which includes the war with Iran, the ouster of senior military officers and rolling back past diversity policies.”
www.wsj.com/politics/heg...
Hegseth Mounts Aggressive Campaign to Fight Pending Impeachment
Congressional critics warn that a defiant defense secretary could imperil military funding.
www.wsj.com
November 8, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Even mathematicians cannot conceive of the number of times we are going to hear about “warriors”, “lethality”, and “woke leftist ideology” during the impeachment hearings.
And they are supreme mathematicians!
November 8, 2026 at 2:52 AM
And they are supreme mathematicians!
"yeah i guess maybe for people doing like feminist theory but what about mathema—" especially mathematicians
November 7, 2026 at 7:08 PM
"yeah i guess maybe for people doing like feminist theory but what about mathema—" especially mathematicians
“smoothness” “continuity” “bounded variation” concepts invented by mathematicians to cope
the edges of the world are sharp
November 6, 2026 at 1:31 AM
“smoothness” “continuity” “bounded variation” concepts invented by mathematicians to cope
If we convince early-career mathematicians and promising mathematics students that the world no longer needs mathematicians because "the AI can do their jobs," then we will choke off the supply of future mathematicians.
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
If we convince early-career mathematicians and promising mathematics students that the world no longer needs mathematicians because "the AI can do their jobs," then we will choke off the supply of future mathematicians.
But because mathematics without mathematicians is a set of guide maps for crossing Königsberg's bridges (but not graph theory), then mathematics without mathematicians is also mathematics *without mathematics*.
eof/
eof/
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
But because mathematics without mathematicians is a set of guide maps for crossing Königsberg's bridges (but not graph theory), then mathematics without mathematicians is also mathematics *without mathematics*.
eof/
eof/
Tanswell distinguishes between mathematics as a discipline practiced by mathematicians and the proofs and theorems that those mathematicians produce.
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Tanswell distinguishes between mathematics as a discipline practiced by mathematicians and the proofs and theorems that those mathematicians produce.
Lately, AI companies have made headlines with a series of mathematical accomplishments that left mathematicians in an uproar and non-mathematicians in a muddle. Obviously, while mathematicians are qualified to assess these accomplishments, the rest of us are not.
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Lately, AI companies have made headlines with a series of mathematical accomplishments that left mathematicians in an uproar and non-mathematicians in a muddle. Obviously, while mathematicians are qualified to assess these accomplishments, the rest of us are not.
Thank you for reading the article. It's encouraging to hear that you found it helpful for thinking about the recent shifts in mathematics. I look forward to reading your reflections. And yes to more collaborations between social scientists and mathematicians.
This weekend I finally had time to read through @alondra.bsky.social's "Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object & Tool" and I can't recommend it enough. Every mathematician who has been reading countless essays about AI and math should stop and read this
direct.mit.edu/daed/article...
direct.mit.edu/daed/article...
Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object & Tool
Abstract. Uses of advanced artificial intelligence are changing how societies organize labor, govern, produce knowledge, and make meaning. In light of these developments, this essay argues that AI mod...
direct.mit.edu
November 8, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Thank you for reading the article. It's encouraging to hear that you found it helpful for thinking about the recent shifts in mathematics. I look forward to reading your reflections. And yes to more collaborations between social scientists and mathematicians.
The AI industry keeps making new enemies. Authors, artists, publishers, mathematicians, voters and now even Big Pharma is calling its bluff.
Phenomenal work. 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾
Phenomenal work. 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾
November 4, 2026 at 9:48 PM
The AI industry keeps making new enemies. Authors, artists, publishers, mathematicians, voters and now even Big Pharma is calling its bluff.
Phenomenal work. 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾
Phenomenal work. 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾
In other words, in a world where mathematicians and mathematics are inseparable, every solution to a longstanding problem heralds an accompanying theoretical insight. Once we separate mathematics from mathematicians, we start to get solutions *without* insights.
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
In other words, in a world where mathematicians and mathematics are inseparable, every solution to a longstanding problem heralds an accompanying theoretical insight. Once we separate mathematics from mathematicians, we start to get solutions *without* insights.
Mathematicians hate him!
November 7, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Mathematicians hate him!
They’ll fire the mathematicians and make up new numbers.
November 4, 2026 at 7:30 PM
They’ll fire the mathematicians and make up new numbers.
A solution to the Kaczynski problem for mathematicians!
November 8, 2026 at 11:42 PM
A solution to the Kaczynski problem for mathematicians!
Keeping up with the latest in math and AI doesn’t have to be hard. Sign up for our Transformation newsletter, a new weekly digest tracking the rapid changes happening in mathematics — and how mathematicians are reckoning with them. mailchi.mp/quantamagazi...
November 8, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Keeping up with the latest in math and AI doesn’t have to be hard. Sign up for our Transformation newsletter, a new weekly digest tracking the rapid changes happening in mathematics — and how mathematicians are reckoning with them. mailchi.mp/quantamagazi...
A 55-Year-Old Math Problem Was Solved—This Time by Humans www.wired.com/story/a-55-y...
A 55-Year-Old Math Problem Was Solved—This Time by Humans
A group of young mathematicians found the solution to the long unanswered conjecture, first inspired by juggling, through randomness and friendship.
www.wired.com
November 8, 2026 at 4:03 PM
A 55-Year-Old Math Problem Was Solved—This Time by Humans www.wired.com/story/a-55-y...
But some working mathematicians have found chatbots to be extremely useful "collaborators."
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
But some working mathematicians have found chatbots to be extremely useful "collaborators."
These are a lot less interesting than the kinds of solutions that mathematicians come up with.
November 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
These are a lot less interesting than the kinds of solutions that mathematicians come up with.
While some pure mathematicians are loudly worrying about being put out of business by AI, applied mathematicians aren't feeling this angst. Applied math isn't about typing a precise question into a machine and having a Lean-verified answer pop out.
(Neither is pure math, but some think so.)
(Neither is pure math, but some think so.)
November 3, 2026 at 8:58 AM
While some pure mathematicians are loudly worrying about being put out of business by AI, applied mathematicians aren't feeling this angst. Applied math isn't about typing a precise question into a machine and having a Lean-verified answer pop out.
(Neither is pure math, but some think so.)
(Neither is pure math, but some think so.)
Oh once you get way further into math, there’s like sub fields that become incomprehensible to other PhD level mathematicians in their own subfield.
November 7, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Oh once you get way further into math, there’s like sub fields that become incomprehensible to other PhD level mathematicians in their own subfield.
It's not uncommon for pure mathematicians to say they're in the humanities
November 5, 2026 at 2:59 PM
It's not uncommon for pure mathematicians to say they're in the humanities
