elibensasson / Eli Bensasson is on Nostr

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Last Notes

2026-08-04 08:44:43 GMT

I grew up and entered the world of mathematical academic research on the tailwinds of the view of Mathematicians as Heroes. I told myself that by solving esoteric, abstract, and extremely difficult questions, I’m not just “toiling endlessly for the grudging approbation of a select few”, to use the words of the great Mathematician Peter Sarnak, but rather I’m one of the select few at the vanguard of technology and science, discovering new worlds that may, one day, reshape life.
Which is why I was utterly shocked to read Timothy Gower’s reflections about the resolution by AI of the Erdos Unit Distance problem a few months ago. And my shock deepened yesterday when I read Henry Yuen mentioning three different famous open problems in theoretical computer science – my own academic field of expertise – that have now been cracked by AI.
I’m realizing that we may be the last generation of Mathematicians as Heroes. If the biggest breakthroughs in math will come from machines rather than from geniuses like Terrence Tao (“the Mozart of Math”), the place of mathematicians in society will change dramatically.
It may be that the human spirit will still make a difference in giving the right prompts to AI, and in choosing which way to steer it. So perhaps the Mathematician Hero will transform into something like a music conductor leading an Orchestra, or a skillful pilot of a powerful spaceship. Perhaps in 20 years there will still be Mathematical Heroes that the world will look up to, for their place in guiding machines towards impactful new discoveries.
But... I think that’s unlikely. A more likely outcome will be that Professors of Mathematics will occupy a similar place in society to that of Professors of Classics, or Literature. The latter are very smart people who know a lot about their subject matter (Literature, Classics). But, and this is a big distinction, the subject matter of their expertise is something that they did not create. In Classics, the real heroes are Homer and other dead poets. And in the case of Mathematics the only remaining human heroes will be early-day, pre-AI, mathematicians. All of the innovation will come from machines, with or without simple and inconsequential human prompts.
My family has a whole bunch of Humanities Academics, so I have a lot of respect and love for Humanities. In fact, as a child I thought I’ll grow up to be one. But I did relish in the glory of being a Mathematician Hero, of being a colleague and disciple of the Great Heroes who advanced technology and society and were revered as demi-gods for discovering and unleashing the power of the universe. I now realise, with gratitude and sorrow, that my peers and I may be the last generation of these Mathematical Heroes.
So it goes.

2026-07-30 14:48:56 GMT

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Following in the footsteps of the mighty OG Abdel!

2026-07-30 11:32:47 GMT

Hello world! May Primal be all that Twitter used to be, and more.