Gowers has one of my favourite video series about how he approaches a problem he is unfamiliar with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byjhpzEoXFs
It is disheartening to see him jump into this GenAI puffery.
I hope these GenAI labs are paying Tao handsomely for legitimizing their slop, but more likely he's feeling pressure from his University to promote and work with these labs.
My guess is Gowers wants in on that action, or his University does.
Either way, it makes me sad. If its self motivated... even sadder.
His university is deeply entrenched with the GenAI org that released this result both with having alumni on staff, integrating their tools into the school's processes and curriculum, and paying for lots of grants. (I understand Tao is absent from this specific announcement, perhaps because it found its solution without utilizing formal verification tooling)
Is it unreasonable to assume he's feeling pressure to do so?
Gowers similarly appeared largely uninterested in this current crop of GenAI until some months ago when he announced a 9M$ fund to develop "AI for Maths" and since then his social media has included GenAI promotion.
Now he is being asked about this result and his first sentence is:
> I do not have the background in algebraic number theory to make a detailed assessment of the disproof of Erdős’s unit-distance conjecture, so instead I shall make some tentative comments about what it tells us about the current capabilities of AI.
Why did this GenAI org reach out to mathematicians outside of the discipline that this result addresses?
Why did they respond?!
As with Tao, he's always been a measured optimist even before the tools were consistently usable for his work. And even still nowadays, he adds stipulations to his statements on the successes of AI. Yes, he's part of Math Inc. now and is in close contact with Google Deepmind for some projects but his interest lies in using the tools today. Gowers has been hypothesizing on the future of math in the tone he has taken now ever since o3/GPT5. There's no comparison between the two who should attract more scrutiny.
Focusing solely on "capabilities" is the irrational thinking.
Asbestos is the most "capable" material where extreme thermal, chemical and electrical resistance is required.
> has a motivation to "market" the accomplishment as much as possible
I am so sick of HN promoting unethical behaviour as virtuous due to it's financialization worship at the foot of "valuations".
> but surely you agree it IS a remarkable achievement?
If you could define the bounds of "remarkable" I could answer this question.