STRANGE NEW UNIVERSES: PROOF ASSISTANTS AND SYNTHETIC FOUNDATIONS

Abstract

Existing computer programs called proof assistants can verify the correctness of mathematical proofs but their specialized proof languages present a barrier to entry for many mathematicians. Large language models have the potential to lower this barrier, enabling mathematicians to interact with proof assistants in a more familiar vernacular. Among other advantages, this may allow mathematicians to explore radically new kinds of mathematics using an LLM-powered proof assistant to train their intuitions as well as ensure their arguments are correct. Existing proof assistants have already played this role for fields such as homotopy type theory.