Why this initiative?
We address the mathematical community at a time of great uncertainty. The development of artificial intelligence touches our understanding of mathematics, our practice in research and teaching, and mathematicians’ career prospects. It opens new possibilities for mathematical discovery, understanding and collaborative research, while also bringing risks. Its further development and consequences are only partly foreseeable, and become less so the further we look into the future. We take seriously the concerns this development raises for many people about their professional future and the significance of their work. At the same time, we recognise the responsibility that comes with our position in academia and want to help shape these changes through an open, collective process of deliberation.
We also see the current opportunities, problems and challenges within mathematics as precursors of similar, and possibly even more far-reaching, developments in other parts of society. They raise questions beyond our discipline: about the value of human work and human understanding, about career prospects, and about who decides how these technologies are used and developed and who benefits from them. Our experiences can also contribute to shaping this transition in other fields. This makes it all the more urgent to have these discussions, develop reasoned positions and bring our experiences into the wider public debate.
With these reflections, we want to work towards a shared understanding of how we wish to shape mathematics in research and teaching, which abilities and values we want to preserve and develop, and what prospects mathematicians should have in society.