Fields Medal winner: OpenAI destroyed my research field

According to a report by the Financial Associated Press, 2022 Fields Medal winner Hugo Duminil-Copin stated at the French Mathematical Society that his original research direction no longer exists. He said, "On Tuesday night, I cried, and my crying woke up my daughter. They (OpenAI) have destroyed my field of research." The report mentioned that at least 16 papers related to his long-term research interests were included in the results released by OpenAI earlier this month.

The report noted that since April of this year, AI companies have frequently announced solutions to unsolved mathematical problems to showcase their model capabilities. Earlier this month, OpenAI released over 700 papers at once, claiming to have solved hundreds of previously unresolved mathematical problems. Stephane Mallat, a recipient of the 2025 Gold Medal from the French National Center for Scientific Research, stated that the emotional impact of AI achievements is significant, but society still needs mathematicians and opposes the notion that "mathematicians are no longer needed." Cedric Villani, the 2010 Fields Medal winner, remarked that in mathematics, the process of reaching conclusions is far more important than the conclusions themselves.

Francois Charles, head of the mathematics department at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, stated that AI is changing the pathways for young people entering the mathematics field and pursuing PhDs, and concerns about talent development and career progression are valid; regarding the research itself, he believes that AI may help solve problems that were previously difficult to tackle. The Simons Foundation announced last week a $15 million initiative to help mathematicians cope with the changes brought by AI, with funding contributed by OpenAI and Anthropic, aimed at supporting workshops to evaluate AI achievements and establish standards for AI usage.