It comes as no surprise that solving challenging research-level math problems drives progress in mathematics. What is more surprising, though, is that solving such long-standing open problems also contributes to an entirely different field: the development of the next generation AI systems. We live in an exciting time where mathematics and AI can greatly benefit each other, and the goal of the talk is to explain how and why, drawing on specific examples from topology and combinatorial group theory.

Sergei Gukov is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Theoretical Physics and Mathematics at California Institute of Technology.