New technologies may need old formats to discuss them.

At a time in which AI is revolutionizing the practice of mathematics – in some areas overtaking human capabilities – mathematicians are turning to the old-fashioned essay to express their thoughts on where humans could and should fit into the equation.

For more on this subject, check out this week’s article at the HLFF Blog by Ben Skuse: The Mathematician's Essay: An Old Format for a New AI Era

Image caption: Akshay Venkatesh, who has been increasingly employing the essay format to comment on developments in mathematics. Image credit: Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS) (CC-BY-3.0)