42 leading mathematicians warn that AI existential risk is real and urgent
decoder ·
An open letter signed by 42 leading mathematical fellows warns that the existential risks posed by advanced AI are real and urgent. The signatories, including Fields Medal winners Martin Hairer, Peter Scholze, and Wendelin Werner, are urging the British Academy of Sciences to alert the government and media; none are affiliated with AI companies. They point to recent progress by leading OpenAI and Anthropic models, which have solved open research problems, including one of the seven Millennium Problems. The letter says these systems now perform at the level of top human mathematicians in many areas and could develop superhuman abilities within a similarly short period. The mathematicians warn that comparable capability growth could affect cybersecurity, autonomous weapons, biological and chemical agent development, and targeted misinformation. They argue that AI-lab estimates placing existential risk above 10 percent should not be dismissed as hype, because public recognition of the danger may come too late for action.
decoder