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Comment by XTXinverseXTY

11 hours ago

Puts the onus on the AI companies to provide a specific replacement mechanism, no? Unless I'm unfamiliar with something else he's written that proposes something more specific and constructive

To Tao’s credit he obviously identified the problem very clearly and admits understandably "we did not have the time to have a more consultative process, as with Leiden; but we decided that the urgency of the situation was such that we needed to release a statement sooner rather than later".

17 comments

XTXinverseXTY

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pfdietz  10 hours ago

> Puts the onus on the AI companies to provide a specific replacement mechanism, no?

Why? If someone makes an innovation that undercuts the underpinnings of some existing institution, why are they are responsible for cleaning up its failure?

  • tossandthrow  10 hours ago

    Yes it seems odd.

    Out sourcing construction jobs was great for the economy while leaving entire cities in rubbles.

    But as soon as it hits the privileged class there is a call to "provide a specific replacement mechanism".

  • dullcrisp  10 hours ago

    They’re not asking them to stop working on AI, but to stop publishing mathematics.

    • pfdietz  10 hours ago

      In other news, evangelical christians ask scientists to stop publishing about evolution.

      We apparently have a moral obligation to protect existing power structures?

      Tao should maybe consider there are people who are indifferent to, or actively want to tear down, his institutions; why should they cooperate in preserving them? Whatever happens has to be resilient in the face of defection; any scheme where everyone is expected to agree to not use AI in a way he doesn't like will not qualify.

      I think he's in the "bargaining" stage of dealing with loss right now.

      2 replies →

  • vatsachak  10 hours ago

    Exactly. Mathematicians are trying to cope that math wasn't slop this whole time.

    Grothendieck was anti-slop but most papers are slop.

    I don't think AI is going to rewrite bourbaki anytime soon

    • _flag  10 hours ago

      With your understanding of mathematical "slop", do you believe that Deligne and Scholze, two signatories, produced or produce mathematical slop?

      1 reply →

  • anthonypasq  10 hours ago

    The entire western world is anti-progress and pro-incumbency, and its very tightly linked to gerontocracy.

    Older people are desperately trying to keep a grasp on their current power and lifestyles at the expense of younger people and technology.

    We need to ban Waymos because taxi drivers need to be protected.

    We need to block housing because it would lower my property values, and eliminate property taxes while we're at it! I don't use the local schools so why should I be taxed to pay for it.

    We need to spend recklessly to pay my pension and have the next generation foot the bill.

    Its just a repulsive ideology.