János Pach, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and research professor at Rényi Institute, spoke about the mathematical capabilities of artificial intelligence, which are developing at a “staggering pace” and, in his view, are redefining what it means to be a mathematician.
The mathematical capabilities of artificial intelligence are advancing at a staggering pace, reshaping even the very notion of what it means to be a mathematician. At the same time, the most important problem formulations of Paul Erdős continue to stand the test of time. This was discussed by János Pach, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, professor in the Geometry Department of the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, and leader of the ERC Advanced Grant–funded GeoScape research group, in an interview with Hungarian current affairs portal called tudas.hu.
A short preview excerpt from the interview:
“Mathematicians continue to hope that they will have a place in an increasingly machine-driven future. According to János Pach, the human factor in mathematical research has by no means been eliminated so far, and he hopes this may never happen. However, the work of mathematicians will almost certainly be fundamentally transformed in the future. As for exactly how, he can only speculate – but as things stand now (and in six months they will likely look quite different), he imagines that a good mathematician will need to collaborate not only with many colleagues, but also with a range of AI software systems in solving problems. (…) Although their work will change radically, even in 10 or 20 years what they do will still be considered mathematics – just in a new style.”
The full interview with János Pach is available HERE (sorry, text is in Hungarian).
(The interview was written and edited by István Palugyai, permanent honorary president of the Club of Science Journalists in Hungary.)