A 2024 collection of articles in the Bulletin of the AMS asked "Will machines cange mathematics?", suggesting that "Pure mathematicians are used to enjoying a great degree of research autonomy and intellectual freedom, a fragile and precious heritage that might be swept aside by a mindless use of machines." and challenging readers to "decide upon our subject’s future direction."
According to three Fields medallists interviewed by Epoch AI late in 2024 "AI will change math research by enhancing proof development, generating novel conjectures, lowering entry barriers, and potentially automating research in the future.”
We look at the factors, whether technical, social or economic, leading to the ongoing adoption, or otherwise, of previous computational interventions in mathematical practice. We ask what the role of historians might be in this rapidly changing landscape.
