The Simons Foundation, in partnership with Anthropic and OpenAI, has announced a combined commitment of $15 million (Rs 142.51 crore) in funding and resources to help the mathematics community navigate the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field. The foundation will manage and award the funding, including through an open call for proposals, to support workshops and other initiatives. These efforts will help researchers evaluate recent AI-assisted results, learn to use new tools, exchange perspectives, and develop shared standards for the use of AI in mathematics.
"As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes the research landscape, we want to help the mathematical community come together and forge the best path forward," said Simons Foundation President David Spergel.
"Now is the time to look at mathematics as a whole, not as a collection of proofs and theorems, but as a collective understanding driven by human curiosity," he added.
According to the official statement, Anthropic and OpenAI will also provide AI tools and computing resources to researchers supported by the Simons Foundation. This support will extend beyond mathematics to include basic science.
The foundation said the awards and resources would be guided by the needs of the research community and build on its decades-long commitment to supporting mathematics.
It also highlighted its early support for machine learning in science, including funding for the development of the Lean proof assistant, which has transformed aspects of mathematical research and enabled AI-assisted proof development.
Additionally, the foundation has organised workshops, lectures, and collaborations that bring mathematicians together to explore and discuss the role of AI in the field.
"This is a moment for the mathematics community to come together," Spergel said.
"The community should be driving discussions of how these tools are evaluated, adopted, and used, not any single company or institution. The goal of the program is to support the mathematics community," he added.
In response to the announcement, OpenAI said it wanted to help the mathematics community turn advances in AI into deeper human understanding and new discoveries. The company committed $5 million to the Simons Foundation's initiative to help mathematicians examine, understand, and build on results produced by AI, including results recently published by OpenAI.
"To support that goal, we are contributing $5 million to a new Simons Foundation initiative to help mathematicians examine, understand, and build on results produced by AI, including the results we recently published," OpenAI said.
The funding, which will be managed and awarded by the Simons Foundation, will support workshops, conferences, and special programmes. OpenAI will also provide access to its models and computing resources for researchers supported by the foundation.