AI Revolutionizes Textbook Formalization: Costs Drop, Efficiency Soars

In a feat that's turning heads in both academia and tech, an automatic AI system has formalized a 500-page graduate-level textbook on algebraic combinatorics into Lean in just one week. This isn't just a step forward. it's a leap. We're talking about a full standalone formalization of complex material, moving beyond the early results seen in undergraduate topics.

The Numbers Game

Here's where it gets even more staggering. The project involved 130,000 lines of code and 5,900 Lean declarations. Not by a small team either, 30,000 Claude 4.5 Opus agents collaborated in parallel. They worked together on a shared code base via version control. This is multi-agent software engineering breaking new ground.

The cost of this massive endeavor? It rivals, and likely undercuts, what a team of human experts would require in salaries. So, the next big question: Are we looking at a new era where AI slashes costs while boosting efficiency in academia?

Winners and Losers

Automation isn't neutral. It has winners and losers. While this project showcases AI's potential to accelerate formalization and reduce costs, it also raises the specter of displacement. Human expertise in academia might be at risk, asking the unsettling question: Is the cost-cutting worth the potential downsides?

Let's be clear, though. The productivity gains went somewhere. Not to wages, but to increasing capability, efficiency, and perhaps, control. The project illustrates a important shift, but who pays the cost? The academic field must wrestle with this new reality.

Looking Forward

There are still large efficiencies to be gained without the need for better models. The project has made its code, Lean code base, and a side-by-side blueprint website open-source. This transparency may pave the way for even more groundbreaking work in the future.

But let's not get too comfortable. The jobs numbers tell one story. The paychecks tell another. As automation continues to seep into every corner, from factories to lecture halls, we must ask: Who benefits, and who gets left behind?