A few weeks ago, an animated discussion unfolded in a WhatsApp group whose members are mathematicians interested in the Indian Mathematical Olympiad. The spark was a Nature paper that announced a Google DeepMind artificial intelligence (AI) named AlphaGeometry had achieved a milestone: it could solve geometry problems at the level of the International Mathematical Olympiad, nearly matching the prowess of gold medallists.
The news evoked a mix of awe, fear, and wonder among us, especially in light of how AI tools like ChatGPT have started to reshape education. Some mathematicians wondered if the advent of AlphaGeometry signals the start of AI’s ascendancy in mathematics.
Is this truly the beginning of an AI takeover in mathematics? To answer this question, let’s take a look at the inner workings of AlphaGeometry.
