Mathematician Maxim Kontsevich says AI is advancing faster than expected
Fields Medalist Maxim Kontsevich said progress in artificial intelligence for mathematics has exceeded his expectations. He acknowledged that AI could eventually take over a large share of mathematical work, while stopping short of saying such an outcome is inevitable.
Kontsevich received the Fields Medal in 1998 for groundbreaking work in mathematical physics and other areas of mathematics. In an exclusive interview with China Media Group, he said the pace of AI development has been much faster than he had anticipated.
The mathematician said he had been exposed to ideas related to artificial intelligence many years ago through his older brother, who spent years working in an AI laboratory in Moscow. Their discussions gave him an early understanding of the possibilities of automated reasoning.
Kontsevich noted that the structure of mathematics itself makes it particularly suitable for AI. Many mathematical tasks are governed by strict logical rules, which allow reasoning to be checked step by step and mistakes to be identified.
Asked which parts of mathematical research AI could enhance or eventually replace, Kontsevich said the future remains difficult to predict. He noted that AI is already well suited to handling long and complicated chains of reasoning that can be difficult for humans to follow.
He compared such work to chess, saying that a complex mathematical proof can resemble a difficult chess position in which many possible moves must be considered. By contrast, finding a simple proof based on an entirely new perspective remains a different kind of intellectual activity.
Kontsevich nevertheless said AI may eventually learn to perform that kind of creative mathematical work as well. If that happens, he said, the human task may increasingly become understanding what the machine has discovered and why it matters.
Commenting on predictions that AI could surpass human mathematicians within two years, Kontsevich remained cautious. At the same time, he said the progress seen in recent months had been remarkable.
According to CCTV+, Kontsevich is open to the possibility of mathematical discoveries being made by AI and says he would be glad to study and learn from such results.
