The purpose is obvious - AI companies are using math to as a PR tool to demonstrate that AI is more capable than humans. This devalues math and mathematicians. There is even a relevant announcement from today, where OpenAI announced they solve 100 open math problems, without even bothering to state what they are.

However, even if they are successful in removing math from the PR toolkit of AI companies, I can’t see it more than a short term band aid. If AI progression continues, the announcements will just transition from big flashy one, to a kid using Claude on their laptop.

I don’t have a solution here, and I’m worried it’s coming to all human fields. So it’s more of an ability to observe what might happen to all of us.

> There is even a relevant announcement from today, where OpenAI announced they solve 100 open math problems, without even bothering to state what they are.

That announcement is about exactly this group: https://openai.com/index/advisory-group-on-mathematics-and-a...

This group has been formed to tell OpenAI whether or not (and if yes how) they should release those 100+ problems.

IMO “AI companies are using math to as a PR tool” is not quite it; they are using math problems as a benchmark to evaluate their AIs, but after the prior blowback from the mathematical community, they are happy to sit on the results until the community (this group) tells them how to publish the results.

And as you say, even if they don't publish the results eventually anyone will be able to do this when this model is released, so it's just a matter of time.

> I don’t have a solution here, and I’m worried it’s coming to all human fields. So it’s more of an ability to observe what might happen to all of us.

You can also look (as I did back in 2018 when contemplating the end of math) at how chess or Go players adapted mentally to the idea that whatever they may do, a machine could do it better (Lee Sedol famously quit Go).

https://archive.is/m9BYI

These math problems don't exist in a vacuum. It's not like mathematicians are doing mathematics just for the funsies.

Calling it a publicity stunt is an interesting way of framing ground breaking discoveries. The beneficiaries down stream of these discoveries could not care less how they were found.