Fields Medal awarded to four mathematicians as AI reshapes the profession
The Fields Medal, mathematics' equivalent of the Nobel Prize, was awarded to Chinese mathematicians Hong Wang and Yu Deng, American John Pardon, and Canadian Jacob Tsimerman. The ceremony highlighted the growing role and risks of artificial intelligence in mathematics.
The International Mathematical Union awarded the Fields Medal on Thursday to four outstanding researchers under the age of 40. This prestigious prize, handed out every four years, includes 15,000 Canadian dollars (about US$17,000) and a gold medallion bearing the likeness of Archimedes.
Among this year's honorees is Hong Wang, only the third woman to receive the honor since 1936. The 35-year-old Chinese mathematician teaches in France and at New York University. Last year, Wang solved a mathematical puzzle that had stumped experts for more than a century – the Kakeya needle problem. Japanese mathematician Soichi Kakeya asked in 1917 what is the smallest area a pencil sweeps out when rotated 180 degrees. Together with colleague Josh Zahl, Wang found the answer by analyzing the pencil's movement in three-dimensional space.
Yu Deng, who teaches at the University of Chicago, highlighted China's growing prominence in mathematics. The United States was represented by 37-year-old John Pardon, while 38-year-old Jacob Tsimerman from Canada rounds out the quartet. The medals were presented at the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia.
Tsimerman, a specialist in complex algebraic geometry, said his interest in mathematics started with a puzzle his grandfather told him about a toaster. He is set to join OpenAI's safety division and predicts that the mathematics profession will change.
This year's event takes place as artificial intelligence increasingly shakes up the mathematics world. Some AI models have recently demonstrated the ability to produce high-level mathematical proofs. However, in June a group of mathematicians issued the "Leiden Declaration" warning that current automated techniques can produce plausible but unreliable arguments. Deng expressed optimism, believing AI will help mathematicians rather than replace them.
