Part 9/12:
Lessons Learned: The Importance of Skepticism in AI Progress
This episode serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of critical thinking and the need for peer review—even in high-stakes AI claims. Companies and researchers should be cautious about overinterpreting AI capabilities, especially when deploying bold assertions on social media without thorough verification.
It also highlights the necessity of domain expertise. Thomas Bloom, with his deep familiarity with Erdős's problems and the literature, was best positioned to assess the validity of the claims. His calm clarification prevented widespread misinformation from spreading.