Hacker News front pageJul 12, 2026, 19:09 UTC+8

Terence Tao revives 1999 Java math applets and builds two new tools using AI coding agents

Old and new apps, via modern coding agents by Terry Tao

Terence Tao used an AI coding agent to port 24 Java math applets from 1999 to JavaScript in a few hours. Only one minor drag-handling bug was found; the agent also caught two bugs in the original code. He then built two new apps: a Minkowski spacetime diagram tool he abandoned in 1999, and a visualization for his Gilbreath conjecture paper. Full conversation transcripts with the agent are public. Tao considers AI-generated code acceptable for non-critical visual aids.

Why it matters: First-person experiment by Terence Tao with concrete numbers (24 applets, a few hours, one bug) — not vague 'AI can code' fluff. Capped at 72 because it's a personal blog experience share, not a product launch or research breakthrough, but all three HKR axes hit, clearing the ...

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Take

This is worth reading because Terence Tao himself validated AI coding agents for non-critical work. He handed 24 Java math applets from 1999—complex analysis, linear algebra, honeycombs—to an AI agent for porting to JavaScript. Done in hours. Only one minor bug: a drag event misbehaving outside the main box. The agent also caught two bugs in the original code Tao never noticed.

Then he did two new things: built a Minkowski spacetime diagram tool he'd abandoned in 1999 due to complexity, and created an interactive visualization for his just-published Gilbreath conjecture paper. Full conversation transcripts with the agent are public—you can see exactly how he guided the model step by step.

Tao's framing is clear-eyed: these are secondary visual aids, not critical components of mathematical arguments, so the downside risk of AI-generated bugs is low. That's a far more grounded take than "AI will replace programmers." It looks more like a top mathematician offloading grunt work so he can focus on defining problems and verifying results.

Source: Hacker News front page · terrytao.wordpress.com
Published: Jul 12, 2026, 19:09 UTC+8 · Jul 12, 2026