I think it’s more that he seeks to preserve and promote human understanding of mathematics, and sees that grappling with this new technology is necessary. One reason is that for human mathematical practices and institutions to retain legitimacy, they need to justify their value. As Tao explains, one obvious answer to that is made less obvious now with AI.
replyI think it's impossible to be half in. AI will eventually be better at things than people, and people will simply be rocks in the gears of progress.
replyThe only thing to do is to be all in, or get run over.
If what you’re saying is true, what’s the use (or even meaning) of being “all in”? You’re a rock either way.
replyIt's not there yet, and every move we're currently making is towards an extremely inequitable future. Unless things change, not everyone is going to benefit from AI. What are you doing today to end up on the team that wins?
replyOnce AI starts under its own direction, human brains won't be competitive. It feels like we're a breakthrough or two away, and with trillions of funding, we'll get there. Every dollar we spend on Claude subscriptions gets us closer.