The Fields Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences will host its annual Keyfitz Lecture in Mathematics and the Social Sciences on Wednesday, May 7, 2026 featuring Dr. Stephanie Dick of Simon Fraser University. The lecture, entitled "Mathematical Universalism and its Discontents," will be recorded for broadcast on CBC Ideas.

Dr. Dick is a historian of mathematics, computing and artificial intelligence whose work examines how formal methods, from mathematical proof to automated reasoning systems, reshape knowledge, authority and social organization. Her forthcoming book, Making Up Minds: Automating Artificial Intelligence in the Postwar United States, explores how early AI projects redefined what it means to know, prove, and reason collectively.

Her lecture will revisit a powerful and largely forgotten dream: that computers might one day verify all mathematical knowledge, creating a universal language of proof immune to human error, bias or disagreement. Dr. Dick will examine what this dream, and its repeated failure, reveals about the human stakes of automation, asking whose authority is enhanced or diminished when machines are asked to decide what is true.

"This talk is for anyone who has wondered why AI seems to promise so much and deliver so unevenly," said Fields Director, Dr. Deirdre Haskell. "Dr. Dick shows us that the tensions in today's AI systems have deep historical roots, and that understanding them is essential for thinking clearly about where we're headed."

The lecture is free and open to the public. No background in mathematics is required. In-person attendance strongly recommended.

What: Keyfitz Lecture: "Mathematical Universalism and its Discontents"
Who: Dr. Stephanie Dick, Simon Fraser University
When: Wednesday, May 7, 2026, 4:00–5:00 pm
Where: Fields Institute, 222 College Street, Toronto
Admission: Free

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