The Proof in the Code
Kevin Hartnett
Quanta Books, $30
In 2024, the International Mathematical Olympiad had an unusual entrant. Google Deepmind had set AlphaProof, a newly trained AI program on that year’s competition questions, although as an unofficial participant. In the contest, top math students from across the world solve six advanced math problems over two days. AlphaProof made headlines and the silver-medal level cutoff by scoring 28 points out of 42.
AlphaProof is a mathematical theorem solver, a system for proving mathematical statements. Just four years prior, training AI systems to automate mathematical reasoning had been a grand challenge. But Google Deepmind and other groups hoped that their efforts would