Building a Truth Machine

Registration opens 3 weeks before the event and closes at 2PM day-of. Review the full list of registration & entrance requirements below.

How do we know with complete certainty if something is true? This question looms large even, or especially, in mathematics, where proofs can grow dizzyingly long and abstract, or in generative AI models that cannot distinguish between fact and fiction.

Enter the computer program Lean, which is sparking a revolution in mathematics as the latest entry in a centuries-long quest for a “truth oracle.” In his new book, The Proof in the Code: How a Truth Machine Is Transforming Math and AI, Kevin Hartnett tells the definitive story of the birth and rise of Lean, the small, unlikely crew of devoted mathematicians who convinced their peers to adopt it, and the growing movement to usher in a new era of human-computer collaboration — and perhaps even machine intelligence.

Join us for a conversation between Hartnett and Thomas Lin, publisher of Quanta Books, as they explore the future of how mathematicians work, collaborate and assess truth, and grapple with the existential question: Can computers reveal universal truths?

Event attendees will have the opportunity to receive a special The Proof in the Code bookplate signed by the author. Learn more about the book and its release schedule here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Hartnett is a math and technology writer whose work has been published widely in outlets including Quanta Magazine, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, WIRED, Nautilus and Scientific American. He was previously the senior writer at Quanta Magazine, covering mathematics and computer science. His work has been collected in multiple volumes of the Best Writing on Mathematics series from Princeton University Press. From 2013 to 2016, he wrote “Brainiac,” a weekly column for The Boston Globe’s Ideas section. The Proof in the Code: How a Truth Machine Is Transforming Math and AI (Quanta Books, 2026) is his debut book.

Conversation Moderator: Lin is the publisher of Quanta Books. He was previously the founding editor of Quanta Magazine, a journalist and editor at The New York Times, a board member at the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and an adjunct lecturer at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS & DETAILS

• You must be 18+ to attend this event
• Registration will close at 2:00 PM the day of the event
• Please only register yourself and use your complete first and last name as it appears on your photo ID when filling in the form
• If you have a guest you would like to bring with you to this event, please send them the link to register so they can sign up on their own
• By registering to attend this event, participants agree to follow the Simons Foundation Code of Conduct
• Please note that the Simons Foundation will never ask for credit card information or require payment for registration to our free public events.

BUILDING ENTRY PROTOCOL

• All attendees must be pre-registered and walk-in entry will be denied
• Provide valid photo ID upon entry
• Present your digital or printed Eventbrite ticket confirmation; make sure it is for the correct event and that the name on it matches your ID
• Limited seating is available for this in-person event and is on a first-come, first-served basis
• Once the floor reaches maximum capacity, event organizers will not be able to admit additional guests, in accordance with New York City fire safety and building occupancy regulations.
• Admittance to the event closes at 6:20 p.m.

Please note that by entering the Simons Foundation buildings, you are attesting that you are not experiencing COVID symptoms and are not knowingly positive for COVID.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

Doors open: 5:30 p.m. (No entrance before 5:30 p.m.)

In Conversation: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (Admittance closes at 6:20 p.m.)

Reception: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

If alcohol is served at this event, event organizers reserve the right to refuse to serve guests who are not of legal drinking age or who appear to be intoxicated.

The Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and offers accessible seating to visitors with special access needs.

Inquiries: sfpresents@simonsfoundation.org