Mathematician warns AI companies against obscuring thought processes in research

On October 26, the Chinese media outlet Chaoshinews reported that Yuyu Deng, a Fields Medalist and professor at the University of Chicago, criticized AI companies for withholding the thought processes behind their mathematical proofs during a speech at the 'Knowledge Intellectuals' and 'Mr. Sai' forum. Deng emphasized that while AI offers vast knowledge and low trial costs, humans remain the primary actors in research, with AI serving as a tool. He argued that AI companies should disclose the reasoning behind their proofs, as failing to do so violates academic norms. Deng criticized companies for using 'anti-distillation' as an excuse to hide their thought processes, which he called a barrier to understanding. He also proposed open-sourcing mathematical models to ensure the academic community retains control over its research tools. In a separate statement, 25 Fields Medalists, including Deng and Terence Tao, warned that AI's approach to mathematics is misaligned with the goals of the mathematical community. They highlighted that while AI has improved in solving mathematical problems, its methods often lack proper attribution and fail to integrate new ideas into the mathematical canon, risking the loss of human collaboration in the field.