First Chinese Fields Medalist leads 1,000-scientist push to advance AI in mathematics

The 77-year-old mathematician, who won the prestigious award in 1982, launched the Yau Laboratory Alliance for Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence in Beijing on Oct. 11, bringing together eight leading research institutions.

The alliance aims to develop specialized AI models capable of solving complex mathematical problems, proposing new mathematical ideas and producing proofs that researchers can verify.

Yau, director of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University and a former Harvard professor, warned that China was falling behind the U.S. in using AI for advanced scientific research.

"A year ago, I did not think AI was this powerful," he said, citing recent advances that have enabled AI to tackle problems mathematicians have struggled with for years, South China Morning Post reported.

"The development of AI in mathematics is like a tsunami," he said.

1982 Fields Medal winner Shing-Tung Yau. Photo courtesy of Harvard University

He urged Chinese mathematicians to embrace the technology and work more closely with AI developers to narrow the gap with their American counterparts. While Chinese AI models have performed well on everyday tasks, they remain far behind leading U.S. systems in advanced mathematics and physics, he said. He attributed the gap partly to the ability of major U.S. technology companies to mobilize thousands of researchers and substantial investment, while China's research efforts remain fragmented.

The alliance's launch comes amid growing debate over AI's ability to solve mathematical problems that have challenged researchers for decades. On Oct. 6, OpenAI released 722 mathematical manuscripts covering 372 groups of results, claiming its AI systems had solved or made progress on hundreds of previously unresolved problems.

The research covered fields including algebra, geometry and theoretical computer science, with some findings related to long-standing mathematical questions, according to The Washington Post.

The scale of the release drew attention from mathematicians worldwide but also raised concerns about the reliability of AI-generated research and the difficulty of independently checking hundreds of mathematical proofs.

The Association for Human Mathematics criticized the release, questioning OpenAI's research practices and urging mathematicians to stop collaborating with the company. Its statement was also republished on the blog of another Fields Medal winner, Terence Tao, who has urged greater caution in adopting AI for advanced mathematical research.

Asked about Tao's position, Yau said: "Tao is a very good mathematician, but that does not mean he represents the mathematical community." He maintained that disagreements over AI should encourage closer cooperation between mathematicians and technology developers rather than discourage research.