Mathematicians spent 40 years telling taxpayers that math matters because it benefits humanity. Now that AI is doing the math, suddenly it's about mathematicians.

For decades, mathematicians, including Fields Medalist Cédric Villani, advocated for math research funding by emphasizing its societal benefits, as taxpayers largely supported it. Villani, who contributed to France's national AI strategy in 2018, argued in 2012 that public funding depended on demonstrating math's societal value. However, a 2026 letter signed by Villani suggests that AI labs' pursuit of solving math problems now harms both science and the mathematical community, leading to accusations of hypocrisy given their previous arguments for societal good.

This post highlights a perceived shift in mathematicians' arguments for funding, from societal benefit to self-preservation, unlike their previous stance.