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Cambridge Hosts Debate On AI’s Role In Solving Math’s Hardest Problems
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
AI tools currently assist mathematicians in writing and verifying proofs, sparking debate about whether artificial intelligence can truly transform mathematical research.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- AlphaProof proved part of the prime number theorem using Lean code.
- Trinity translated handwritten math into formal proof of ABC conjecture segment.
- Some mathematicians remain skeptical about the tools’ transparency and reliability.
Artificial intelligence may be on the verge of transforming mathematics, with AI tools currently assisting in writing, and verifying mathematical proofs. New Scientist (NS) reported that a major conference at the University of Cambridge in June brought together 100 leading mathematicians to examine AI’s growing role in formalizing and verifying mathematical work.
“It’s a little bit overwhelming,” said Jeremy Avigad of Carnegie Mellon University, one of the organizers, as reported by NS. “It used to be kind of a fringe, niche thing. All of a sudden, I find myself popular,” he noted.
The two most popular tools discussed at the conference were DeepMind’s AlphaProof and Morph Labs’ Trinity. AlphaProof gained attention after achieving a silver medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad and has since proven part of the prime number theorem using formal verification tools, as noted by NS.
“I wanted to do a demo of how AlphaProof could be used in real life,” said DeepMind’s Thomas Hubert, as reported by NS.
Meanwhile, in another recent event, 30 top mathematicians met quietly at UC Berkeley to test OpenAI’s o4-mini, a powerful compact version of ChatGPT. The group used encrypted messages to protect their data while presenting 300 untested math problems to the AI system. The AI system, o4-mini, achieved surprising success by solving 20% of the presented problems , which exceeded the performance of its previous versions.
“I have colleagues who literally said these models are approaching mathematical genius,” said Ken Ono, a judge and mathematician at the University of Virginia. In one case, the bot reviewed prior literature, simplified the question, and solved it in minutes. “It was starting to get really cheeky […] That’s frightening,” Ono added.
Meanwhile, Trinity, created by US-based Morph Labs, automatically converts handwritten math into formal code. It recently helped prove a part of the controversial ABC conjecture. Kevin Buzzard of Imperial College London described it as a first-of-its-kind demonstration. “A machine just translated the entire thing into Lean,” he said.
Still, some scholars remain skeptical. Rodrigo Ochigame from Leiden University noted, “They posted only a single, possibly cherry-picked, output […] They didn’t even say if they tested their system on any other theorems,” as reported by NS.
Others, like Timothy Gowers of Cambridge, are optimistic: “Over the next few years, there will have been changes to how we do maths that will rival in importance the changes brought about by email, LaTeX, arXiv, and Google,” as reported by NS.
Image by Furkan Elveren, from Unsplash
Criminals Pay $10 to Hack You: Identity-Based Threats Hit Record High
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The eSentire research team warns that cheap phishing kits, combined with info-stealers, enable cybercriminals to conduct identity-based attacks to record highs.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- 59% of cyber incidents in Q1 2025 were identity-related.
- Tycoon 2FA phishing kits cost just $200–300/month.
- BEC attacks now make up 41% of all cyberattacks.
The number of cyberattacks focusing on user identities increased by 156% during the previous year because hackers now primarily target login credentials. Security researchers at eSentire indicate that identity-driven threats makeup 59% of all incidents they investigate.
The primary factors driving this increase? PhaaS (Phishing as a Service) platforms like Tycoon 2FA, together with info-stealing malware, operate as the main causes of this rise. The tools enable criminals to take control of user accounts and create substantial recovery expenses for businesses.
“Tycoon 2FA has emerged as the dominant phishing tool since hitting the shelves in 2023,” eSentire explained, as reported by The Record . For just $200-300 per month, criminals get realistic phishing pages for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, plus tools to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA). “The technical sophistication of these services rivals that of legitimate security tools,” eSentire added in the report.
The main security threat in the business world stems from Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes. The attackers use Tycoon 2FA to create fake login pages, which they use to deceive finance staff. The attackers steal login credentials to track email communications before locating important financial documents and redirecting payment transfers to their criminal bank accounts.
BEC attacks and email takeovers increased by 60% between the previous year and Q1 2025, to become the leading attack type at 41% of total incidents. The less well-known BEC attacks result in financial losses that reach into the billions for businesses.
The purchase of logs from info-stealers costs criminal operators between $10 and $100. The stolen credentials from infected devices amount to dozens of entries, which can be used for basic identity attacks.
“The ROI for identity-based attacks far exceeds that of traditional malware,” eSentire warned, urging companies to adopt phishing-resistant tools like passkeys and invest in monitoring and rapid response.
“Organizations can either proactively transform their security architectures to address identity-centric threats, or they can continue operating with obsolete security programs until a successful attack forces reactive changes under crisis conditions,” the security report concluded.
