DoubleChecks

What was claimed

Terence Tao and 24 other Fields Medalists just signed a letter telling AI companies they're destroying mathematics by treating problems like brute-force benchmarks, rushing solutions without proper attribution, and creating plagiarism risks (pointing to OpenAI's Navier-Stokes work)

Our verdict

Accurate

Multiple reports and Tao’s blog state that the declaration argues AI companies are using the solving of famous mathematical problems as benchmarks of model capability and that this is detrimental to the science of mathematics. This matches the description of treating problems as brute-force benchmarks. (Only 2 of 3 AI systems responded.)

Combined assessment25 sourcesChecked Sep 12, 2026

Why this verdict

  • Terence Tao and 24 other Fields Medalists just signed a letter telling AI companies they're destroying mathematics

    Misleading
    One assessment reached this conclusion

  • The letter says solutions are being rushed out without proper writeups and without citing relevant previous work, creating attribution and plagiarism concerns

    Verified
    One assessment reached this conclusion

  • The letter criticizes AI labs for treating mathematical problems like brute-force benchmarks to measure model capabilities

    Verified
    One assessment reached this conclusion

  • The letter specifically points to OpenAI's claimed Navier-Stokes solution as an example of these problematic practices

    Verified
    One assessment reached this conclusion

Evidence reviewed

25 sources

Perplexity and Claude sources are combined here.

eu.36kr.comstraitstimes.comzglg.workexplainx.aix.comchosun.comus.headtopics.comterrytao.wordpress.comcryptobriefing.comepoch.ai

Individual assessments

Assessment summary

  • There is strong, recent evidence of an open letter signed by 25 Fields Medalists, including Terence Tao, criticizing how AI labs are using famous math problems as benchmarks.
  • The phrasing in the AI-generated claim is somewhat punchier than the letter itself, but the substance about benchmarks, rushed solutions, attribution, plagiarism risks, and the connection to OpenAI’s Navier–Stokes announcement is accurate.

Claims reviewed

Terence Tao and 24 other Fields Medalists just signed a letter telling AI companies they're destroying mathematics

Misleading
Sources confirm that Terence Tao and 24 other Fields Medalists (25 in total) signed a joint declaration criticizing AI labs’ current practices in mathematics.straitstimes.com zglg.work terrytao.wordpress.com us.headtopics.com c114pro.com aicrier.com However, the letter describes these practices as a serious misalignment and a general threat to intellectual work, not literally that AI companies are "destroying" mathematics, so the wording is somewhat exaggerated.

This claim may mislead readers without added context.

The letter says solutions are being rushed out without proper writeups and without citing relevant previous work, creating attribution and plagiarism concerns

Verified
Coverage of the declaration notes that it criticizes rushed announcements of solutions, lack of time for proper exposition, and inadequate acknowledgment of prior work, which they say raises serious attribution and plagiarism issues.straitstimes.com explainx.ai c114pro.com aicrier.com A widely shared summary of the letter on social media quotes these concerns almost verbatim.x.com

The letter criticizes AI labs for treating mathematical problems like brute-force benchmarks to measure model capabilities

Verified
Multiple reports and Tao’s blog state that the declaration argues AI companies are using the solving of famous mathematical problems as benchmarks of model capability and that this is detrimental to the science of mathematics.eu.36kr.com straitstimes.com zglg.work us.headtopics.com terrytao.wordpress.com c114pro.com aicrier.com This matches the description of treating problems as brute-force benchmarks.

Assessment summary

  • Terence Tao recently released a post stating that 25 Fields Medal laureates have jointly signed an open letter, slamming AI companies for taking "solving well-known mathematical problems" as the benchmark for measuring model capabilities.
  • The letter's core concerns about brute-force benchmarking, attribution, and plagiarism risks are all substantiated by the evidence, particularly regarding the Navier-Stokes controversy.</reasoning> <parameter name="claims">[ { "claim": "Terence Tao and 24 other Fields Medalists signed a letter", "assessment": "TRUE", "confidence": 0.95, "explanation": "25 Fields Medal laureates have jointly signed an open letter, which equals Tao plus 24 others." }, { "claim": "The letter criticizes AI companies for treating problems like brute-force benchmarks", "assessment": "TRUE", "confidence": 0.95, "explanation": "The letter slams AI companies for taking 'solving well-known mathematical problems' as the benchmark for measuring model capabilities, describing this behavior as 'harm to the science of mathematics and the mathematical community'." }, { "claim": "The letter criticizes rushing solutions without proper attribution", "assessment": "TRUE", "confidence": 0.9, "explanation": "The letter warns that unverified, rushed AI proofs raise attribution and plagiarism concerns." }, { "claim": "The letter points to OpenAI's Navier-Stokes work as an example", "assessment": "TRUE", "confidence": 0.95, "explanation": "The criticism is directly targeting OpenAI, and on September 8, OpenAI announced that its internal model solved the Navier-Stokes equations problem, which triggered the controversy that prompted the letter." }, { "claim": "There are plagiarism risks related to OpenAI's Navier-Stokes work", "assessment": "TRUE", "confidence": 0.9, "explanation": "A plagiarism controversy was sparked with NYU mathematician Tristan Buckmaster and Anthropic researcher Levent Alpöge, who published related results one day prior." } ]
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