26. November 2026
Kolloquium
Vortragender: Prof. Dr. Thomas Kahle (Otto von Guericke Universität Magdeburg)
Vortragstitel: Mathematics and AI in 2026
Beginn: 16.15 Uhr
Ort: Raum 1.04, VSP 1
Abstract
In 2026, AI systems became better than most mathematicians at solving mathematical problems. Because proofs are objectively verifiable, machine checkable, and inherently digital, mathematical reasoning is unusually exposed to machine learning. Consequently, we have entered an era of what Terence Tao calls *proof abundance*, in which problems whose solutions once made careers are now solved by strangers on the Internet with extremely capable AI. The academic credit system has all but broken down, and often nobody really understands these new proofs.
Mathematicians worldwide are reacting in different ways to these developments. Some refuse to touch AI at all, others have joined AI companies, and most are somewhere in between. At the same time, as Tao argues, AI opens up a new kind of experimental mathematics and could free us to focus on understanding rather than problem solving.
In this talk, I survey the year's developments and discuss how mathematicians might cope and rebuild their field.