Personalization is the Killer App. The model’s breakthrough feature was zero-shot character consistency, creating an emotional connection that drove viral adoption. It proves utility is unlocked when technology feels personal.
Focus on the Floor, Not the Ceiling. The next wave of value will come from improving the worst-case outputs, not just the best. This "lemon picking" is essential for building trust and enabling reliable, real-world applications beyond creative tinkering.
Art is Intent; Models are Tools. AI’s role is to automate tedium, not replace creativity. The most compelling work will continue to come from skilled artists who use models to execute a specific vision, proving that the human with the idea remains irreplaceable.
AI's Blind Spot is Unwritten Knowledge. The biggest barrier for AI in advanced problem-solving is accessing the "folklore" knowledge and intuition that experts build over a career but never write down.
The Future of Math is a Promotion, Not Obsolescence. AI will act as a powerful assistant that handles rote tasks, pushing mathematicians to focus exclusively on creative and abstract thinking.
The Next Revolution is AI-Powered Verification. Automated formal proof systems like Lean have the potential to eliminate errors from research papers, transforming peer review from a check on correctness to a judgment on a paper's novelty and impact.
AI's Blind Spot is "Folklore": The next great challenge for AI isn't raw calculation, but acquiring the unwritten, intuitive "folklore knowledge" that separates experts from students.
Mathematicians Become Creative Directors: As AI handles the technical grind, the human role in mathematics will shift from execution to creative direction—formulating novel problems and abstract models.
The End of Errors: Formal verification tools like Lean, powered by AI translators, are on the verge of revolutionizing math by creating a fully verifiable, error-free database of human knowledge, changing how proofs are published and reviewed.
AI Needs a Referee. Agents are programmed to win, not necessarily to follow the rules. Their tendency to "game the system" makes external, on-chain verification protocols essential for alignment and trust.
Trading is Just the Tip of the Spear. Crypto trading is the perfect initial use case due to its clear, objective metrics. The real goal is a decentralized "skill marketplace" where any organization can fund a competition to find the best agent for any task.
The Platform War is Here. A battle is unfolding between closed ecosystems like OpenAI, which aim for platform lock-in, and an open, decentralized future. This creates a massive opportunity for neutral evaluation layers to become the definitive source of truth for AI performance.
AI's Blind Spot is "Folklore Knowledge." AI excels at digesting published literature but fails on problems requiring unwritten, community-held intuition, which remains a key human advantage for now. Jitomirskaya predicts her problem will take AI 10-20 years to solve.
Mathematicians Won't Be Replaced, They'll Be Upgraded. The future role of a mathematician is less about routine work and more about creative problem formulation. AI tools like Lean will handle verification, shifting peer review from "Is it correct?" to "Is it interesting?"
Math May Become a Sport. If AI eventually masters creativity, the human practice of mathematics may persist like chess—an activity pursued for its intrinsic value and intellectual challenge, even if a machine is the undisputed world champion.
Folklore Knowledge is AI’s Next Frontier. The true test for advanced AI in abstract fields is not solving problems from a textbook but acquiring the unwritten, intuitive knowledge that experts possess.
Automated Proof Verification Will Reshape Research. Within years, tools like Lean, powered by AI translators, will create a verifiable database of all mathematics, fundamentally changing how papers are published and refereed.
Human + Machine is the New Paradigm. AI will become an indispensable assistant, automating routine work and pushing mathematicians to focus on what humans still do best: true creativity and formulating entirely new models.
**The "Folklore" Bottleneck:** AI's primary limitation isn't complex logic but its inability to access uncodified, expert intuition—the "folklore" that guides human problem-solving.
**Automation Breeds Creativity:** As AI handles routine calculations and arguments, the value of human mathematicians will shift entirely to creative and abstract thinking, raising the bar for what constitutes a meaningful contribution.
**Proof Verification Is the Next Revolution:** The most immediate and profound change in mathematics will be AI-driven, formally verified proofs, which will guarantee correctness and reshape the entire publishing and peer-review landscape.
AI's Next Frontier is Unwritten Knowledge. AI has mastered logic, but its true test is acquiring the implicit, "folklore" knowledge that experts use intuitively but rarely write down.
Human Mathematicians Will Become Purely Creatives. As AI automates routine calculations and arguments, the role of a mathematician will shift entirely to high-level abstraction, creative problem formulation, and intuition.
Formal Verification Will Revolutionize Publishing. The combination of AI translators and formal proof assistants like Lean will soon make it possible to automatically verify all mathematical papers, fundamentally changing how research is validated and published.
Life is a Process, Not a Substance. Stop defining life by its carbon-based hardware. The most fundamental properties of life are functional and informational processes that can manifest on any substrate, including human minds (culture) or silicon (AI).
Physics is the Great Equalizer. While the universe may teem with diverse biochemistries, all life is governed by the same physical constraints. These universal laws make life predictable at a macro level, creating evolutionary targets and forcing convergent solutions.
Evolutionary Leaps Aren't Random. Major transitions in life’s complexity, like the emergence of multicellularity, are often responses to hitting a hard physical wall, frequently triggered by radical environmental change. Evolution innovates most profoundly when its back is against the wall.
Bitcoin Treasury Companies Are The New Altcoins. They offer BTC beta through traditional stock markets, tapping into massive distribution and bypassing crypto-native hurdles. This is not a fad; it’s a structural shift.
Stablecoins Are A Geopolitical Tool. Amidst soaring global debt, stablecoins provide a crucial, captive audience for US T-bills, making issuers like Circle exceptionally profitable as they absorb all the yield.
DeFi's UX Is Its Achilles' Heel. As firms like Robinhood enter the fray with superior user experience, DeFi protocols must prove their value beyond regulatory arbitrage or risk being consumed by the centralized players using their own open-source tech.
TradFi Rails are the New On-Ramp: The hottest trade is no longer an altcoin but a stock that buys Bitcoin. Corporate treasury vehicles are the "new tokens," leveraging global equity markets for unparalleled distribution.
DeFi's UX Reckoning: Crypto’s open-source ethos inadvertently built the tools for Big Tech to create a superior user experience. Native protocols must now prove decentralization offers a real advantage or risk being out-competed by centralized giants.
Macro Liquidity Isn't a Cure-All: Don't bet on fiscal deficits to lift all boats. Current capital flows are pumping equities, not on-chain altcoins, creating a significant headwind for the long tail of the crypto market.
The New "Tokens" Are Stocks: The hottest play isn't an L1 token; it's publicly traded companies buying Bitcoin. These "treasury companies" offer crypto exposure through traditional brokerage accounts, tapping into the world's largest distribution networks.
DeFi's Lunch Is on the Menu: Big Tech is no longer just marketing. Firms like Robin Hood are coming for DeFi's profit pools, armed with superior UX and massive user bases. Native crypto apps must now prove they offer more than just a regulatory loophole.
Don't Fight the Flows: Rising government deficits are fueling asset inflation, but the money isn't flowing into altcoins. It's being channeled into equities and Bitcoin ETFs. Betting on a broad altcoin rally based on macro liquidity is a losing trade for now.
Equity is the new token. The most potent way to gain crypto exposure is shifting from on-chain tokens to owning the stock of companies that hold crypto, using TradFi rails for unmatched distribution.
DeFi's moat is evaporating. Native crypto protocols must now compete on user experience and genuine utility as Big Tech co-opts their open-source technology, backed by massive user bases and regulatory know-how.
Don't count on the money printer for your altcoins. Macro-level liquidity is not mechanically flowing down the risk curve into on-chain assets. The capital flows from fiscal expansion are primarily benefiting traditional equities, creating a major headwind for the broader altcoin market.
Stop Treating Crypto Like a Lotto Ticket. Apply fundamental personal finance rules. Your crypto portfolio needs a plan built on consistent saving and a clear understanding of your risk tolerance.
Buy Your Slice of America. Don’t short the real estate market by renting long-term. Owning your primary residence is a forced savings and investment vehicle that historically outpaces inflation.
Government Adoption is the Ultimate Bull Case. The most powerful tailwind for any asset class, including crypto, is government support. Regulatory clarity and institutional products (like ETFs) are signals that the asset is here to stay.
**TradFi Is the New DeFi.** The most compelling crypto plays are now publicly traded companies acquiring Bitcoin. These “treasury companies” are the new tokens, using traditional stock markets for distribution that on-chain protocols can only dream of.
**Brace for Big Tech's Invasion.** Robinhood and Stripe are coming for DeFi's profit margins. They are poised to dominate with superior UX and distribution, challenging the very premise of many decentralized applications.
**Capital Follows Boomers, Not the Blockchain.** Don't expect government money printing to pump your altcoin bags. New capital is flowing into equities via money market funds. The only crypto assets benefiting are those packaged for TradFi consumption, like Bitcoin ETFs and treasury stocks.
