About this Event
The Proof in the Code: A Covnersation with Author Kevin Harnett & Publisher Thomas Lin
Speakers: Kevin Hartnett & Thomas Lin
Date: July 25, 2026, 1:15-2:15 pm
ABSTRACT
How do we know with complete certainty if something is true? This question looms large even, or especially, in mathematics, where proofs can grow dizzyingly long and abstract, or in generative AI models that cannot distinguish between fact and fiction.
Enter the computer program Lean, the latest in the centuries-long series of attempts to build a “truth oracle,” which has the potential to revolutionize how math is done. Kevin Hartnett, the author of the new book The Proof in the Code and Quanta Books publisher Thomas Lin will discuss the birth and rise of Lean; the future of how mathematicians work, collaborate, and assess truth; and the existential question: Can computers reveal universal truths?
SPEAKER BIO
Hartnett is a math and technology writer whose work has been published widely in outlets including Quanta Magazine, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, WIRED, Nautilus, and Scientific American. He was previously the senior writer at Quanta Magazine covering mathematics and computer science. His work has been collected in multiple volumes of the Best Writing on Mathematics series from Princeton University Press. From 2013 to 2016 he wrote “Brainiac,” a weekly column for The Boston Globe’s Ideas section. The Proof in the Code is his debut book.
Lin is the publisher of Quanta Books. He was previously the founding editor of Quanta Magazine, a journalist and editor at The New York Times, a board member at the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and an adjunct lecturer at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
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.
- Please only register yourself and use your complete first and last name as it appears on your photo ID when filling in the form.
- Tickets under the same name do not count as registrations for others and each ticket must be registered under an individual attendee’s name. If you have a guest you would like to bring with you to this event, please send them the link to register so they can sign up on their own.
- Please note that the International Congress of Mathematicians will never ask for credit card information or require payment for registration to our free public events.
BUILDING ENTRY PROTOCOL
- Enter the Pennsylvania Convention Center via Broad St Atrium.
- Check-in at a kiosk to print a badge. All attendees must have a badge to enter the Hall E and the Benjamin Franklin Stage.
- Limited seating is available for this in-person event on a first-come, first-served basis.
INCLUDED WITH TICKET
- Exhibit Hall Access 2:00-6:00 PM
- Mathemalchemy
SCHEDULE
Doors open: 12:45 pm (No entrance before 12:45 pm)
Conversation + Q&A: 1:15 – 2:15 pm (Admittance closes at 1:35 pm)
All attendees must register in advance to attend this event. By registering, participants agree to follow the .
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
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
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, United States
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