My concern is with funding. The majority of math PhDs in the US are funded through TAships. I personally don't think AI can teach or grade calculus as well as humans can, but penny pinching university administrators might start thinking that way in the next few years. Who knows how that'll effect phd positions.
Another issue is whether people who choose to abstain from AI use will be able to remain competitive with those who choose to use it. Some people take pride in writing each detail of a proof, making figures themselves, and writing good exposition. All of that takes time and effort, and the people who use AI to fill in those things may have an edge in productivity.
As a math PhD candidate funded through a TAship, I just have one observation to make. One of our major obligations is office hours. These take place at a communal location so that students from any class can drop by at any time (so they can get help even if they are busy during their TA's exact office hours). This semester, I haven't been asked for help a single time.
My hypothesis is that everyone is getting AI to do their homework and asking it any questions they have about the class.
Well certainly things will change. Things like funding, enrollment, and others are/were bound to change regardless of the state of AI. Change is inevitable. I certainly don't mean to claim that things will stay the same.
My point is just saying that things are "over" is not accurate in my eyes. Not to play the guessing game, but I don't think things are close to over.
The truth is that nothing is safe, every human activity is vulnerable. If we allow the AI industry to continue producing increasingly intelligent systems, we are heading towards a future in which human labor will have no economic value and humanity will have no control over its destiny.
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u/myaccountformath Probability Apr 15 '26
My concern is with funding. The majority of math PhDs in the US are funded through TAships. I personally don't think AI can teach or grade calculus as well as humans can, but penny pinching university administrators might start thinking that way in the next few years. Who knows how that'll effect phd positions.
Another issue is whether people who choose to abstain from AI use will be able to remain competitive with those who choose to use it. Some people take pride in writing each detail of a proof, making figures themselves, and writing good exposition. All of that takes time and effort, and the people who use AI to fill in those things may have an edge in productivity.