Can the Most Abstract Math Make the World a Better Place? | Quanta Magazine
category-theoryapplied-mathematicsai-safetyepidemiologygreen-math
Abstraction: Applied category theory for real-world systems modeling and AI safety
Key points:
- John Baez (UC Riverside/Edinburgh) coined "green math" in 2011, calling for category theory to model the biosphere; 100+ mathematicians now work in applied category theory
- Applied category theory (ACT) models systems as objects and morphisms in categories, providing a compositional lingua franca for heterogeneous real-world data
- StockFlow software package uses category theory to formalize epidemiological stock-and-flow diagrams, allowing specialists to compose models from different domains
- UK government agency ARIA funds Safeguarded AI, applying ACT to AI safety by building formal models of complex systems (nuclear plants, power grids) for AI to practice on
- Skepticism remains: climate scientists find existing models functional enough; ACT requires upfront investment before delivering benefits; not yet adopted broadly
Connections: John Baez · Topos Institute · Aria · Category Theory · Applied Mathematics · AI Safety
Source: https://www.quantamagazine.org/can-the-most-abstract-math-make-the-world-a-better-place-20260304/