Mathematicians’ Latest Problem: What if A.I. Can Do Our Job?

Artificial intelligence has gone from struggling with basic arithmetic to helping solve some of mathematics’ most famous open problems — and the field is reckoning with what that means. Steven Strogatz, a professor of mathematics at Cornell University, describes the excitement and grief of watching A.I. take on work that gives people a sense of purpose — and asks what could be lost if machines deliver answers without the human struggle, insight and understanding that make solving problems meaningful. Guest: Steven Strogatz, a professor of mathematics at Cornell University who writes for The New York Times about...