J. Philippe Blankert, 4 April 2025
Chess players learned decades ago that artificial intelligence (AI) doesn’t just mimic human strategies—it can fundamentally reinvent them. When IBM’s Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997, it wasn’t merely a novelty; it marked the dawn of a new era. By the time Google’s AlphaZero emerged in 2017, teaching itself chess from scratch in mere hours, it demonstrated stunning moves and revolutionary strategies humans had overlooked for centuries.
Yet, remarkably, mathematicians and physicists have been slow—often reluctant—to accept or even recognize the revolutionary potential of AI in their fields. Why?
- Clear vs. Abstract Metrics Chess has clear, definitive outcomes: win, lose, or draw. AI success is undeniable. Mathematics and physics, however, often lack immediate clarity. Proofs and theories demand extensive interpretation, making revolutionary AI contributions less immediately obvious.
- Cultural Resistance Mathematics and physics value human intuition deeply. AI-driven proofs or discoveries can appear opaque, non-intuitive, and therefore less appealing or credible.
- Academic Conservatism The deeply entrenched academic culture rewards individual genius and human-driven breakthroughs. AI-generated solutions threaten these traditional norms, encountering subtle resistance.
Chess players, unburdened by these cultural and methodological barriers, openly embraced AI’s potential. Consequently, chess theory experienced rapid, unprecedented growth.
Using AI now for mathematics and physics, I discover that hundreds of thousands of breakthroughs are possible—far more than any single individual can handle alone. The potential for revolutionary advancements is overwhelming.
Mathematicians and physicists now stand at a crossroads: continue cautiously, or recognize and harness the revolutionary insights AI can offer?
The chess community’s foresight clearly demonstrates that embracing AI isn’t surrendering creativity or insight—it’s amplifying them. Mathematicians and physicists who learn from chess’s experience will soon find themselves at the forefront of a new intellectual renaissance.
The question isn’t if AI will revolutionize mathematics and physics, but how quickly these fields will embrace it.
