Sam Altman Says Mathematicians Went Through Grief as AI Enters Math Research

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told hundreds of students at Stanford University that mathematicians have gone through grief-like stages as AI moves into math research: disbelief and pain, then anger, and finally accepting AI as an essential research tool.

The controversy started when OpenAI announced in September that its AI model cracked the Navier-Stokes problem, unsolved for over a century. Researchers from NYU and Anthropic accused the company of using their chat data, and some mathematicians were unhappy that no proof steps were shown. After more than 700 scholars criticized a Caltech student contest that encouraged using AI, OpenAI pulled out as a sponsor.

UCLA professor Terence Tao says the "romantic era" of math research is over, with top mathematicians shifting from solving problems themselves to checking AI's answers. Altman remains optimistic, saying AI won't cause a jobs disaster, but admits he has never seen a field change this fast.