Thread

1. sweezyjeezy · 1789808125 · focus · HN ↗

   The math field is confronting something that coders have been dealing with for a few years now, only far more violently. Today's moat for software seems to be that AI can automate tasks but not a full job (yet). But for a large proportion of mathematicians, doing these tasks really was _the_ job. It's the bit they wanted to do, and if they completed a sufficiently difficult set of tasks, they got tenure. Now this model is failing, they frantically need to pivot the role of humans to save their profession from funding cuts.

   I remember when "writing code was never the point" became a mantra here. There was truth in it, but removing the coding has certainly taken away a lot of the texture of the work and enjoyment of the craft. Many of us feel this loss as we tech-lead teams of agents as our source of income. I am not optimistic the mathematics pivot is going to work, but I'm certain that most will be depressed with the outcome even if they succeed.

   We are all staring at the same existential dread, just seeing it unfold slower. We're being told that utopia is to be obsolete, and that is a jarring idea to contend with.

   1. 0c3ca83 · 1789831325 · focus · HN ↗

      I'm just waiting for "Humanity was never the point, let our AI children transcend and replace us".

      Maybe it's time to reject utopia.

      1. QuesnayJr · 1789887776 · focus · HN ↗

         I've already seen this sentiment expressed in the wild.
      2. augment_me · 1789915059 · focus · HN ↗

         Isn't it kind of inevitable? As long as humans have the desire for power and control, informational networks will be developed and extended until the point of replacement of humanity because it will be in some parts interest to use them to accumulate power.

         You're asking to go against evolutionary principles to reject the utopia. Everyone on earth will never agree to become monks, there will always be the desire to reproduce better, signal status and power, so the technology will be developed until we are finished as a species.

         1. 0c3ca83 · 1789918507 · focus · HN ↗

            If you're advocating that we die out -- you first, please.

            1. augment_me · 1789920329 · focus · HN ↗

               I am not advocating for anything. I am really sad about the conclusion, and I hope its not true, but I am stating what I see, what incentives exist and how humans behave given the drives. If you disagree on any of the points above, feel free to explain how and why its not true.

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