I am fascinated by how predictably we are willing to shift responsibilities to our tools.
As soon as we take a minute to look back, we realize that we, humans, are the only ones responsible; for everything good, and for everything bad that happens to us.
AI wasn’t an issue in 1953, yet Hundertwasser was already making the same point Tao just made, albeit in a different context.
But modern AI tools, when directed without such expert supervision, can now be aimed all too easily at the ostensible goals of the field, without any incentive to take the slow, whimsical path. The flag is captured, the goal scored, and the problem is solved; but at the cost of lessons learned, insights gained, collaborations formed, and new targets located.
Terence Tao in 2026, about Ai and Mathematics
And it pleases me enormously to see that the line I trace is never straight, never confused, but has a reason to be like this in every tiny part.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1953 about straight vs organic lines
Beware of the straight line and the drunken line. But above all beware of the T-squared straight line.
The straight line leads to the downfall of humanity.
La ligne droite conduit à la perte de l’humanité.
(Click on the links and go read the full texts, it’ll only take a couple minutes each.)
Leave a reply