Leading Chinese mathematicians unite behind use of AI in research

Fields medallist Shing-Tung Yau, who is leading the project, warned that the country is lagging behind the US in using the technology

Leading China’s mathematicians joined forces in Beijing on Sunday to launch an alliance aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into mathematical research.

The Yau Laboratory Alliance for Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence is being spearheaded by Fields medallist Shing-Tung Yau, who warned that China was lagging behind the United States in using AI to advance frontier science.

It will bring together eight leading institutions and aims to create a network of more than 1,000 scientists.

The alliance will focus on developing specialised AI models for mathematics, using the technology to generate conjectures and formalise proofs, and building systems whose reasoning could be more easily interpreted.