Myth debunked: Can artificial intelligence replace mathematicians? | Science - Times of Malta

A proof is a step-by-step logical argument that verifies the truth of a conjecture by Times of Malta. 

 Photo: courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It both establishes the validity of a statement and explains why it is true. In the 1970s, the late mathematician Paul Cohen, the only person to ever win a Fields Medal for work in mathematical logic, reportedly made the prediction that computers will eventually replace mathematicians when proving their theorems.

The debate over the role of computers in pure ma­the­matics is an animated one. Mathematicians, logicians and philosophers have long argued over what part of creating proofs is fundamentally human...

 “The drive to mechanise proof and proof verification doesn’t strongly motivate most mathematicians as far as I can tell,” Columbia University mathematician and 2007 Clay Research Award receiver Michael Harris said. 

“I can understand why computer scientists and logicians would be excited, but I think mathematicians are looking for something else.”

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Source: Times of Malta