Topic: International Congress of Mathematicians

Recorded live at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, this episode brings hosts Janna Levin and Steven Strogatz together with Akshay Venkatesh, Ravi Vakil and Alex Kontorovich. They examine what recent AI-generated proofs demonstrate, how machine assistance may change mathematical research, and what proof, creativity, understanding and storytelling contribute to the discipline. The recording took place on 26 July 2026; Quanta published the episode on 3 September 2026.

Julian Sahasrabudhe describes his path from childhood ambitions and drumming to mathematical research. He introduces combinatorics and its connections with other areas, including the relationship between Ramsey theory and sphere packing, ahead of his invited lecture at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians.

Richard Samworth discusses the research behind his invited talk at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians. He explains how statistics connects theoretical questions with practical applications and reflects on mathematical collaboration and the research community at Cambridge.