I just saw the news about AI systems solving really hard math competition problems and honestly I’m struggling with it emotionally. My entire career and sense of self worth has always been tied to being exceptional at mathematics. It’s what made me special and gave me purpose.
Now it feels like machines can do what took me years to master, and probably do it better than I ever could. I know this sounds dramatic but it genuinely feels like watching part of myself become obsolete. Has anyone else in technical fields experienced this kind of existential crisis when AI started matching human abilities in their area of expertise?
I’m trying to figure out how to process these feelings and maybe find a new perspective on what my role as a mathematician means in this changing world.
I felt the same way when automated theorem provers got really good a few years ago. What helped me was realizing AI solving competition problems is totally different from the deep math work we do daily. These systems are great at pattern matching and applying known techniques, but they can’t make those intuitive leaps or creatively frame problems like we do in real research. Your expertise isn’t about computational power - it’s understanding why problems matter, spotting connections across fields, and asking the right questions. AI can be a powerful tool, but it needs mathematicians to guide it toward meaningful work. Don’t think replacement - think incredibly capable research assistant that frees you up for the higher-level thinking only humans can do right now.