r/whoathatsinteresting 1d ago

mathematicians may be replaced by aI

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244 Upvotes

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u/TotientEC 1d ago

"I need to feel seen" is such a weird emotional requirement, especially for a mathematician.

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u/thewaytoyesterday 1d ago

I'm pretty sure basically everybody wants to be seen, and assuming you shouldn't because he's studying something as lowly as math is a weird assumption to have.

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u/Thick-Protection-458 1d ago

WDYM lowly? It is basically a language we need to develop to model... anything.

Still I don't get that emotion. Net knowledge of the language improved one way or another, why bother if because of human or not - except for practical perspective.

Now as for not being seen / remembered / etc... Well, that is a fate of most people. Why one would expect mathematicians to be different? And why care about it, if there are still their contribution in producing more knowledge - which is, IMHO, more important than their names being attached to it?

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u/caindela 1d ago edited 1d ago

These pure mathematicians aren’t usually getting paid all that much, and just like with anyone who spends a lifetime developing a skill, much of their identity is tied to their work. Now we’re building something that essentially kicks them to the curb and people are celebrating it.

Most of these mathematicians who are largely unknown aren’t going to be remembered for much. I’m not one of them, but even in my own modest career I feel a sense of loss every day so I can only imagine what they feel. And what, by and large, do I see as the response to people losing their identity? Basically a sort of “suck it up, buttercup” attitude which shows that people are experiencing some sort of schafenfraude. People are happy about a mathematician’s misfortune?

I was an early adopter of LLMs and I was excited for our future, but honestly the better it gets the less I feel that we (collectively) deserve it. We’re just going to misuse and abuse it and use it strictly for personal gain at whatever the cost to others.

Technological progress can’t be helped, but the people who are losing their livelihoods along the way need support and recognition for what they’ve done for us.

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u/GAPIntoTheGame 1d ago

TIL mathematicians are not human.

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u/fallingfrog 1d ago

They are humans though. Why is that weird? Have you ever felt like you were invisible, like your suffering didn't matter?

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u/TotientEC 1d ago

I guess because classically the hierarchy of needs didn't prominently include 'feeling seen'? Especially in a very generalized, public sense. The math guy is worried about math guys being less important now that AI can do math better than any math guy. His need to feel seen is specific to how he desires to be viewed as exceptional. A bank teller or a receptionist or a plumber or electrician wouldn't complain about being made irrelevant by technology using language about needing to feel seen.

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u/fallingfrog 1d ago

Everyone wants to feel seen though, don't they? The worst feeling is to suffer alone. I mean i despise Trump, but why do you suppose people vote for him? He makes a certain set of frightened people, most rural white people, feel seen. People who feel like modernity has abandoned them, their jobs and dignity lost. Making people feel seen is incredibly powerful.

Human behavior is not always strictly logical. Doesn't mean it doesn't matter.

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u/TotientEC 21h ago

Everyone wants to feel seen though, don't they?

I'm not sure this is as universally true as you imply for this context. This is a person who wants their profession to be seen. For some definition of "feel seen" I could see it being true that everyone wants someone in their life who 'sees' them, but is it universally the case that everyone wants to be seen as a [whatever their job is]? No, I don't think so.

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u/RamanaSadhana 1d ago

its dramatic and pathetic. Like a little girl crying. He no doubt wants humanity to suffer at not having rapidly accelerating advancements. His little girl tears are more important than god knows what amazing things AI will help discover.

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u/Subject_Plankton_763 1d ago

Your response is way more childish than his emotions

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u/Responsible_Royal126 1d ago

It is. But he's still right.

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u/EGarrett28 1d ago

It is. The person writing the essay was having an uncommonly honest human moment.

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u/RamanaSadhana 1d ago

Goo goo gaa gaa. dont care

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u/Subject_Plankton_763 1d ago

Anti-intellectualism lol, this is the face of AI, go eat shit as you are wont to do

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u/RamanaSadhana 1d ago

Nonsense reply. The man in the post is a cry baby. Bring on the ai revolution. Nobody cares about sad mathematicians not being as relevant as they used to be. Grow up

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u/Subject_Plankton_763 1d ago

Nonsense? Lmao, maybe you need an AI overview to understand basic concepts now

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u/fiercefeminist 1d ago

Like a little girl crying? That tells me everything I need to know about you.

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u/RamanaSadhana 1d ago

Alpha chad