Mathematician Ken Ono urges formalizing math over AI compute

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2/3 I do not share this because struggle automatically makes someone admirable. It does not. I share it because people can change—and because someone who appears successful today may once have felt completely lost.

RETWEETS45

KO Ken Ono@KenOno691

12h ago · 55.4K Views

1/3 Most people see the polished version of a career. Mine was not polished. I struggled badly when I was young, disappointed people who cared about me, and took a long and unlikely road toward becoming a mathematician.

EO@eostudi0

Ken Ono, mathematician at Axiom Math and the University of Virginia, on why 2026 shouldn't be the race for more compute. What you'll learn: - The three forms of AI (chatbots, superhuman search, formalization) and which one is hiring - Why students who want to be mathematicians should start 'formalizing' now - The test for a good question vs. a hollow one, and how to tell who you're really asking it for - How he spots outlier talent that a box-checking admissions system throws away - Why comparing yourself to LeBron or a Nobel laureate guarantees you lose Timeline: 00:00 Intro 02:13 Q1) Have you ever felt obsolete because of AI? 09:33 Q2) What makes a good question? 11:35 Q3) What does 'Superintelligence' mean? 14:04 Q4) What's the biggest AI misconception? 19:34 Q5) What judgement can't AI replace? 21:13 Q6) How do I get past AI filters? 27:45 Q7) Is it bad that I prefer talking to AI over humans? 29:30 Q8) AI is smarter than most of us. What should we do? 31:46 Q9) As a junior, how can I catch up with seniors in the AI era?

KO Ken Ono@KenOno691

12h ago · 1.8K Views

3/3 I spoke candidly about that part of my life in this conversation that was originally intended to be about AI for math.

AC assigned capricorn at birth@tranche_cheddar

8h ago · 559 Views

@KenOno691 i have the fear that such a winding unpolished road to career success would be even more heavily penalized or impossible because of AI - the arrival of AGI feels like it sets a global deadline on an individual's success and you need to get "there" as soon as possible

MS maroof shittu@maroofshittu

10h ago · 791 Views

@KenOno691 Thank you for posting this

IG Ida Girma ✨@IdaGirma

7h ago · 282 Views

@KenOno691 This was so moving @KenOno691 👏🏽

DR DrQQQ@DrFractal

9h ago · 474 Views

@KenOno691 Disappointed people who cared about me 🚩

PL PlausibleDog@J5Tsai

6h ago · 118 Views

Thanks for the interview, Ken. Really appreciated it. It's so moving to me and left me in tears when you shared the experience your dad was so proud of you winning the third place in the math competition. I had very similar experience. My dad was a prominent scientist in his field and I have always thought I failed miserably in terms of academics and creditials. Late did I realise that he has been more than proud of me in the ways I didn't consider much😭.

BN Batyrlan Nurbekov@BenMLAdventures

6h ago · 9 Views

I would like to share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with you: God is holy and just. As a righteous Judge, He punishes sin. Any sin (such as lying or lustful thoughts) is a violation of His infinite holiness; it provokes His infinite wrath and is therefore punished with eternal death in hell, which is described as the lake of fire, a place where the fire is never quenched, the worm never dies, a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, outer darkness, and a place of eternal torment where there will be no rest for the worshippers of the beast. God judges even our thoughts and intentions. It is written: “…everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). And also: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer…” (1 John 3:15). Since we have all sinned (lied, harbored lustful thoughts, and stolen) so many times in our lives, we are all destined to end up in hell. Is there any hope? Yes, there is! God, in His mercy, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us by taking our punishment on the cross. Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect righteousness in our place, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and resurrected on the third day. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This Bible verse describes the great exchange: Jesus Christ took the sins of all believers upon Himself and accepted the punishment—the curse—that believers deserved for their sin; in exchange, God imputes, or credits, the righteousness of Jesus Christ to all believers so that they might possess the eternal life that Jesus Christ deserves. Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ as LORD (God) and Savior, then you will be saved from hell and death and will receive the gift of eternal life. God is one, yet He exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Son of God became man 2,000 years ago—taking on flesh to save us—by living a life of perfect righteousness on our behalf and dying on the cross. Only One who was truly God and truly man could pay the price for our sin. Only He could bear the eternal punishment we deserved. Only He could drink the infinite cup of God’s wrath. Jesus Christ, as God-man, took upon Himself the infinite punishment that believers deserved in hell. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). This verse tells us that salvation is not earned by works but is a free gift. Good works of unbelievers are like filthy rags in God’s eyes; they are sin because when they do their good works they do not do them out of perfect love toward the true triune God. "as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”" (Romans 3:10-12). But when you believe in Jesus Christ, His righteousness is credited to you. Faith is like a hand that receives Jesus Christ. Yet even faith itself comes from God. Therefore, salvation is God’s work from beginning to end. However, Roman Catholic churches (which are false churches because they teach the false Gospel) teach that salvation is by faith and our own good works, which contradicts this verse. Therefore, trust only in Jesus Christ for salvation, not in your own good works. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 I recommend you read the word of the Lord Jesus Christ in the ESV translation: https://www.esv.org/ The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith: https://founders.org/library-book/1689-confession/ Sermons: https://www.youtube.com/@GraceChurchSunValley • • Ministries: https://www.ligonier.org/, https://www.desiringgod.org/, https://www.gotquestions.org/, https://www.gty.org/