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ethbr1 • today at 10:37 AM • 1 reply • view on HN

> Mathematics need to redefine their profession and how they work (like us software developers too). There are very good reasons to believe mathematics has an important role to play. If they could just stop talking about OpenAI and get back to work - they are very much needed, in particular now!

The root issue is OpenAI et al.'s thoughtlessness in their engagement with a field.

OpenAI has resources.

That they fail to allocate enough of those to cleaning up pre-print papers (that seem to be a corporate PR priority for them to release) so they can be consumed and engaged with by the field they're targeting is... acting like a jackass?

It's the same "Meta / Alphabet can't vs won't hire more human reviewers" problem.

OpenAI could, at an immaterial salary level to them, pay a ton of PhD students and mathematicians just to clean up their proofs and papers.

Not doing so is a leadership and financial choice.


Replies

steinwinde • today at 12:06 PM

I'd prefer AI companies don't decide who's "cleaning up pre-print papers". This should remain the job of mathematicians at universities, which I am happy to pay with my taxes. Ideally there was something like a Bermuda Principles declaration for mathematics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Principles). This gave mathematicians even at poor universities and beyond the chance to participate in mathematical progress.

What do you think is gained, if AI companies manage "cleaning up"? Tax money?

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