About this Event
AI and Humanity's Longest Conversation
Speaker: Geordie Williamson
Date: July 26, 2026, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
ABSTRACT
Mathematics has been called humanity's longest conversation. Observations of Euclid, Pythagoras, Euler and Poincaré still occupy the minds of mathematicians today. This conversation has experienced shocks and challenges, including the crisis of foundations in the early 20th century, and the first computer assisted proofs in the second half of the 20th century. We are currently in the midst of another shock, with the rise of formal proof and the first signs of AI systems helping to produce research-level mathematics. This raises questions of fundamental importance: How should mathematicians respond to AI? Will AI systems help (or hinder) our understanding of the mathematical world? Williamson will discuss some recent developments at the interface of mathematics and AI, with the aim of having a clearer picture of this unique point in the history of mathematics.
SPEAKER BIO
Geordie Williamson works principally in Representation Theory, the mathematical theory of linear symmetry. He has made several fundamental contributions to the field including his proof (with Ben Elias) of the Kazhdan-Lusztig positivity conjecture, his algebraic proof of the Jantzen conjectures, and his discovery of counter-examples to the expected bounds in the Lusztig conjecture in modular representation theory. This last result came as a shock to a whole community of researchers, and has since shifted the focus away from old conjectures. More recently, Williamson has worked at the interface of AI and pure mathematics, contributing some of the first applications of AI to difficult problems in pure mathematics ("AI for math").
For his work he has been awarded the Chevalley Prize of the American Mathematical Society, the European Mathematics Society Prize, the Clay Research Award and the New Horizons Prize in Mathematics (with Ben Elias). In 2018 he addressed the International Congress of Mathematicians as a plenary speaker. More recently, he received the medal of the Australian Mathematical Society, the Christopher Heyde Medal of the Australian Academy of Science and the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award. He spent the academic year 2020/21 at the Institute for Advanced Study, as Distinguished Visiting Professor. He currently serves as founding Director of the University of Sydney Mathematical Research Institute.
ABOUT ICM
The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is among the largest and most prestigious mathematical conferences worldwide. Held every four years, it is a showcase of contemporary mathematics and an opportunity for outstanding mathematicians from the global community to present the best work, covering all mathematical subfields and setting future directions for the field as a whole. The last U.S.-based ICM was held in 1986 in Berkeley, CA and after 40 years, the congress will return to Philadelphia, PA July 23-30, 2026.
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
- You must be 18+ to attend this event
- Registration will close 1 hour prior to event.
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BUILDING ENTRY PROTOCOL
- Enter the Pennsylvania Convention Center via Broad St Atrium.
- Check-in at a kiosk and print a badge. All attendees must have a badge to enter the Terrace Ballroom.
- Limited seating is available for this in-person event on a first-come, first-served basis.
INCLUDED WITH TICKET
- Exhibit Hall Access 3:00-6:00 pm
- Mathemalchemy
SCHEDULE
Doors open: 3:00 pm (No entrance before 3:00 pm)
Lecture: 3:30 - 4:30 pm (Admittance closes at 3:50 pm)
All attendees must register in advance to attend this event. By registering, participants agree to follow the .
COMPLETE PUBLIC LECTURES SERIES
- Public Lecture with Terence Tao | Register Here
Friday, July 24, 2026 7:15-8:15 pm - Public Lecture with Talithia Williams | Register Here
Saturday, July 25, 2026 5:30-6:30 pm - Public Lecture with Geordie Williamson | Register Here
Sunday, July 26, 2026 3:30-4:30 pm - Public Lecture with Manjul Bhargava | Register Here
Monday, July 27, 2026 3:30-4:30 pm - Public Lecture with Ingrid Daubechies | Register Here
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 3:30-4:30 pm
OTHER ICM OUTREACH INITIATIVES
- Math Festival Day 1 | Register Here
Friday, July 24, 2026 2:00 - 6:00 pm - Film Screening + Q&A of Journeys of Black Mathematicians Part 1: Forging Resilience| Register Here
Friday, July 24, 2026 2:00 - 3:45 pm - Film Screening + Q&A of Journeys of Black Mathematicians Part 2: Creating Pathways| Register Here
Saturday, July 25, 2026 11:00 am - 12:45 pm - The Proof in the Code: A Conversation with Author Kevin Hartnett & Publisher Thomas Lin | Register Here
Saturday, July 25, 2026 1:15 - 2:15 pm - Math Festival Day 2 | Register Here
Saturday, July 25, 2026 2:00 - 6:00 pm - Math, Music and the Mind: Analysis of the Performed Trio Sonatas of J. S. Bach and Organ Performance at Cathedral Basilica | Register Here
Saturday, July 25, 2026 5:00 - 6:30 pm - From Classroom to Canvas: Creating the ICM Mural with Oluwafemi | Register Here
Sunday, July 26, 2026 4:00 - 5:00 pm - Felix Klein – Insights from the Outside| Register Here
Sunday, July 26, 2026 5:00 - 6:30 pm - Sandbox Films Screening of PHENOMENA| Register Here
Sunday, July 26, 2026 7:30 - 10:00 pm - The American Mathematical Society Presents: The Music of Mathematics | Register Here
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, United States
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