How to Stop AI From Hurting Mathematics

A group of 16 mathematicians and scientists from around the world published a document called the Leiden Declaration in June 2025. It warns that artificial intelligence, or AI, is growing so fast that it could cause serious harm to the field of mathematics. The declaration asks all mathematicians to make sure AI helps their work instead of hurting it. It has already been signed by about 3,000 scientists.

The declaration came out of a workshop held in September 2025 in Leiden, a city in the Netherlands. About 60 people attended, including mathematicians, computer scientists, historians, and philosophers. They all agreed that action was needed right away, even though they had different ideas about what AI might mean for math in the future. A group of 16 delegates worked together to write the final document.

Scientists are worried because AI is changing the way research is done — and not always for the better. Chatbots are helping people write low-quality research papers, which makes it harder to trust new work. Big technology companies also control the most powerful AI tools, which means they could start shaping the kinds of questions that scientists even choose to study. This is a big problem for a field like mathematics, which depends on honesty and careful thinking.

Math is especially affected by AI because it sits at the center of how AI systems are built. Some of the work mathematicians do can touch on serious issues, like whether AI is used in war, mass surveillance, or to spread false information online. AI systems also use large amounts of energy and water, which harms the environment. These concerns make it even more important for the math community to speak up.

Famous mathematician Terence Tao, who won the Fields Medal in 2006 — one of the highest honors in math — supported the declaration. He said the math community should have started talking about AI's effects years ago. Many other scientists agree that the conversation is long overdue. The declaration hopes to push that conversation forward before it is too late.

The declaration lists key values that mathematics depends on. These include transparency, which means being open about how research is done, and scientific integrity, which means being honest and accurate. It also stresses that math should be based on skill, not on who has the most money or power. And it says that mathematicians, as a community, should have a strong say in where their field is headed.

The document gives mathematicians clear steps to follow. They should make sure their work is correct and share enough details so that others can check it. They must say clearly when they have used AI tools and never pretend that a machine wrote something they claim as their own work. They should also think carefully about the ethics of the tools they use and decide wisely whether to work with technology companies.