Fields Medal winner Martin Haier: AI mathematical deduction has reached PhD level, and China’s investment in basic science is impressive

IT House reported on August 15 that the 2026 International Basic Science Conference opened in Beijing on August 9. Martin Haier, winner of the Fields Medal and foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, attended the opening ceremony and served as the awarding guest. In an exclusive interview with CCTV's "High-End Interview", he said that the conference covers a wide range of fields, including pure mathematics, applied mathematics, theoretical physics and even engineering. Talking about the impact of artificial intelligence on mathematical research, Martin Haier believes that artificial intelligence has made huge progress in mathematical capabilities and can now complete mathematical deductions at the doctoral level, becoming a highly practical tool. But he also pointed out that mathematicians are concerned about problems that cannot be solved by automated means. Martin Hare said that artificial intelligence will change the discipline of mathematics, push research in different directions, significantly speed up some work, and even reduce some subdivisions. However, it will not end mathematics, but will only change the research model of mathematicians. He does not agree with the judgment that "artificial intelligence's mathematical capabilities will comprehensively surpass human mathematicians within two years." He believes that artificial intelligence performs outstandingly in specific fields, but it does not mean that it can comprehensively surpass humans in all mathematical tasks. Regarding the development of basic science in China, Martin Haier commented that in the past five to ten years, China’s mathematics research level has achieved a qualitative leap. The Chinese government continues to invest a large amount of resources in mathematics and even the entire basic science field, and through long-term policies to attract overseas scholars to return to China, it has successfully attracted a large number of outstanding talents to return to China. He also mentioned that he was deeply impressed by the fact that a large number of outstanding young scientific researchers now choose to stay in China to study for doctoral degrees and complete their entire academic careers in China. This year, two Chinese mathematicians, Deng Yu and Wang Hong, won the Fields Medal (IT Home Note: one of the highest honors in mathematics, awarded every four years). Martin Haier believes that this result proves that the top mathematicians emerging from China have won the highest honor in the field. Martin Hare himself received the Fields Medal in 2014 for his contributions to the theory of stochastic partial differential equations. He explained in an exclusive interview that stochastic partial differential equations are used to describe the evolution of systems with random disturbances, such as sea surface waves.