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Columnist Allison Schrager Says She Would Spend Six Years on One Math Problem Again in the AI Era

November 7, 2026 at 00:15 EST

Education
Research & Papers

Columnist Allison Schrager says that, even as AI systems grow more capable, she would willingly spend six years on a single math problem again.

Opinion · Allison Schrager

Six years on one problem, and still worth it

As AI systems produce answers in seconds, Schrager says she would make the same choice again: spending years on a single, uncertain math problem. The question is personal, but it reaches into whether slow human inquiry still matters.

The scale of the commitment

One block per year spent on a single problem

6 years

on one math problem

The column makes the scale visible: six consecutive years with no guaranteed result. The article gives no further figures on progress or outcome, so the block count reflects only the time span she describes.

The case for slow work

The reward of a hard problem is not limited to the final result.
Sustained effort on an uncertain outcome is still a valued choice.
Understanding may matter more as machines handle routine intellectual tasks.

Limits of the argument

It is an opinion column, not a reported study.
The specific problem and its progress are not detailed.
It offers no data on how students or researchers are changing their approach.

The central question

If software can generate the answer, is the value of deep work in the process of understanding instead?

Whether this argument gains traction in academia, education or the workplace remains open.

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