Simons Foundation Launches $15M Effort to Help Mathematicians Navigate AI Era
The Simons Foundation announced a new set of initiatives in partnership with Anthropic and OpenAI to commit $15 million in combined funding and resources. The effort will help the mathematics community navigate the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in the field through workshops and initiatives supporting researchers in evaluating AI-assisted results, learning and using new tools, and shaping collective standards for AI use.
The awards and resources will be community-driven and leverage the foundation’s decades-long dedication to supporting and championing mathematics. The foundation was an early backer of machine learning for science, including funding the development of the Lean proof assistant, which has revolutionized how mathematicians work and made AI-assisted proofs possible. Additionally, the foundation has convened workshops, lectures and collaborations that have brought mathematicians together to explore and discuss AI’s role in the field.
“As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes the research landscape, we want to help the mathematical community come together and forge the best path forward,” says Simons Foundation President David Spergel. “Now is the time to look at mathematics as a whole — not as a collection of proofs and theorems, but as a collective understanding driven by human curiosity.” The goal of the program is to support the mathematics community.
The awards and resources will be community-driven, and the program is in its early stages; specific initiatives will be determined through open calls for proposals. An important limitation is that implementation depends on community proposals and participation.