Simons Foundation backs $15M push to help mathematicians adapt to AI

The Simons Foundation, Anthropic and OpenAI are committing $15 million in funding and resources to help mathematicians evaluate AI-assisted results, learn new tools and shape standards for AI use. The effort aims to keep the mathematics community in control as AI changes research workflows.

Why it matters: - Artificial intelligence is changing how mathematical research is done, from proof development to result checking. - The new funding is meant to help mathematicians adopt AI tools without losing community standards for rigor and review. - The program extends beyond mathematics to basic science, widening the potential impact of the resources.

What happened: - The Simons Foundation announced a set of initiatives to help the mathematics community navigate the rise of AI in the field. - The Simons Foundation, Anthropic and OpenAI will contribute $15 million in combined funding and resources. - The Simons Foundation will manage and award the funding. - The foundation will use an open call for proposals to support workshops and initiatives. - The effort is designed to help researchers evaluate AI-assisted results, learn and use new tools, share perspectives and shape collective standards for AI use.

The details: - Anthropic and OpenAI will provide AI tools and computing resources to researchers supported by the Simons Foundation. - The tools and resources will also support basic science research, not just mathematics. - The initiative is community-driven and builds on the foundation’s long history of backing mathematics. - The Simons Foundation was an early backer of machine learning for science. - The foundation funded the development of the Lean proof assistant, which has changed how mathematicians work and made AI-assisted proofs possible. - The foundation has also convened workshops, lectures and collaborations focused on AI’s role in mathematics. - Simons Foundation President David Spergel said the goal is to help the mathematical community “come together and forge the best path forward.” - Spergel also said the community, not any single company or institution, should drive decisions on how AI tools are evaluated, adopted and used.

Between the lines: - The announcement reflects a push to set shared norms before AI adoption becomes fragmented across the field. - By placing funding control with the foundation, the program signals an effort to keep the initiative academic and community-led. - The involvement of Anthropic and OpenAI suggests major AI developers see value in shaping how research communities use their tools.

What's next: - The Simons Foundation is expected to open the proposal process and begin awarding support through the new program. - Workshops and related initiatives should help define how mathematicians test AI outputs and set standards for use. - Researchers supported by the program will gain access to AI tools and computing resources as the effort moves forward.

The bottom line: - The Simons Foundation is using new funding and AI partnerships to help mathematicians adapt to a faster-changing research environment while keeping standards for the field in mathematicians’ hands.