OpenAI announced Monday the formation of an independent Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, hosted at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, according to announcements from both openai.com and TechCrunch.
According to OpenAI, a new internal model that began training on August 28 has now “resolved more than 100 long-standing open problems across most areas of mathematics,” in addition to resolving the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize problem. OpenAI stated that “the pace of its progress in mathematics has surprised the mathematicians within OpenAI.”
The advisory group will “serve as a bridge to the mathematical community and broader public, giving mathematicians a voice in how we move forward,” according to OpenAI. The group will assess the significance of emerging results, advise on coordinating their dissemination, and provide guidance on academic standards.
TechCrunch reports that the announcement follows controversy after 25 Fields Medal-winning mathematicians signed an open letter arguing that AI labs are threatening their intellectual work. According to TechCrunch, while advisory group members will operate independently and can offer unsolicited advice, “the group will not be responsible for advising us on how to pace our internal progress on mathematics,” per OpenAI’s blog post.
The Institute for Advanced Study confirmed that “we do not have decision making power at any AI company,” according to TechCrunch. Nine prominent mathematicians have been named as initial members.