A New Equation: Teaching Math for an AI World
S3 Episode 10 | July 22, 2026
What is the purpose of learning math in a world where AI can solve any equation in seconds?
Carnegie Mellon mathematician Po-Shen Loh has spent his career arguing that math was never really about memorizing formulas 鈥� it's about learning how to think. In this episode, part of 黑料正能量's series spotlighting 15 inventions from its 125th anniversary, Loh traces his path from solving childhood math puzzles to leading the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad team to four world championships: not by fostering competition, but by building friendship and community among the world's most talented young mathematicians.
Loh discusses how his research in graph theory and network science (the mathematics of how people connect and trust one another) led him to build Novid, an exposure-notification app used during the pandemic. He also explains how lessons from improv comedy reshaped his teaching philosophy and how watching kids struggle with online learning during COVID inspired LIVE, his streaming platform. LIVE uses the engagement tools of Twitch, social media and gaming to make math class feel like something students actually want to do.
The conversation turns to AI's role in education, where Loh argues that math remains one of the few "sandboxes" where students can safely generate and test their own ideas without real-world consequences. He introduces his philosophy of being "Thought Full," using thinking to delight and connect with others, and warns that without it, society risks drifting toward the isolated, AI-dependent future, as depicted in the movie 鈥淲all-E.鈥�
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