Recommendations for humans
So what’s a human mathematician to do during the rise of AI? The Leiden Declaration recommends that mathematicians transparently disclose their use of AI tools, maintain accountability for the correctness of their mathematical work, continue to credit human authors and properly attribute work even if AI tools make this difficult, and consider only using AI tools that align with the values articulated in the declaration.
The statement also reminds mathematicians that mathematics has “applications in the development of technology for use in waroppression, mass surveillanceand the undermining of democracy,” so mathematicians should make ethical decisions accordingly when choosing external partnerships with technology companies.
Professional mathematics organizations can develop guidelines for the use of AI and other automated tools in publishing and review, protect the rights of researchers as authors through licensing agreements that prevent their work from being used as training data without consent, and support the role of peer-reviewed publications. The statement also suggests that such organizations “actively prepare to become involved if important mathematical results are claimed using unconventional means.”
The declaration’s authors also offer simple recommendations for policymakers, including “protecting the copyright“, “regulate the artificial intelligence industryand” and “invest in public computing infrastructure.” Under the heading “don’t believe the hype,” the statement warns about how “there is currently a strong commercial incentive on the part of the technology industry to exaggerate the capabilities of its products.”
Finally, the statement recognizes that the technology industry “has offered lucrative jobs, monetary rewards, computing resources, and intellectually stimulating opportunities that some mathematicians have found attractive… in an era of underfunding of higher education and precarious academic employment.” Calls for such collaborations between mathematicians and the technology industry to meet the standards set out in the declaration.
“By endorsing the statement, the IMU affirms that the future of mathematical research must be guided by human judgment, fair and transparent practices, and the shared values of the global mathematical community,” it said. Ulrike Tillmannvice president of the International Mathematical Union, in a statement. “Mathematics is, and should always remain, a deeply human task.”
