AI is not going to make mathematicians obsolete

The fear of “AI obsoleting mathematicians” has become another obsession by the media over the past 2 years, along with everything else AI related, with new headlines appearing every week: For example, this article recently went viral, “What it Means to Be a Mathematician When AI Does the Math?” Like the rest of academia, mathematics is not immune to gatekeeping, fads, cliques, and status-signaling. If the profession of mathematics were to disappear because of AI, it would not represent a loss to humanity. The act of doing math would continue–especially in the private sector such as developing algorithms–but it would no longer exist under the formal title or appellation of “mathematician.” It would just be “people doing math”. People always get mad when you discuss this, on either side of the debate. It’s much more personal than debates about sports teams. Supporting the Patriots is not an indictment on one’s moral worth or intellect, unlike about AI. If you’re pro-AI you’re accused of…