Studium Generale | Johann Bernoulli Lecture | Can Machines Do Mathematics?

When ChatGPT launched in 2022, it showed the world that computers can write poetry, generate images, and hold conversations, but in mathematics it still struggled with simple logic puzzles and long division. Four years later, the picture looks very different, with AI systems winning gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad and mathematicians publishing papers that credit AI assistants with suggesting key ideas. What happened, and how impressed should we be?

Mathematician Johannes Schmitt offers a guided tour through one of the fastest-moving stories in recent science. With concrete examples and historical anecdotes he traces the path from early failures to recent breakthroughs, and examines what these systems can and cannot do. Drawing on hands-on experience testing and working with AI systems, Schmitt aims to offer honest orientation in a fast-changing landscape. Where might this lead, in five years or fifty?

Johannes Schmitt is a SwissMAP Research Fellow at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, working in algebraic geometry. In recent years, Schmitt has become closely involved with efforts to measure the mathematical capabilities of AI systems. He has contributed expert-level problems to test suites such as FrontierMath and Humanity's Last Exam (a collection of nearly 3000 difficult questions across academic disciplines). He currently leads IMProofBench, a project that evaluates whether AI can generate correct mathematical proofs, not just guess final answers. Beyond evaluation, he is interested in exploring how AI might assist mathematicians across their work: from developing research ideas to writing and teaching.

35th Johann Bernoulli Lecture
The Johann Bernoulli Lecture is an annual event initiated by the Johann Bernoulli Stichting voor de Wiskunde in honour of the mathematician Johann Bernoulli. It features distinguished speakers who present lectures on various topics in mathematics and related fields. This edition is a collaboration between The Johann Bernoulli Stichting, het Koninklijk Genootschap voor de Natuurkunde (KNG) and Studium Generale Groningen.