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# 26% of new maths papers credit AI with writing and editing, the most common use; 38% credit AI for something
- URL: https://aiadoption.org/data/how-mathematicians-use-ai/
- Published: 2026-10-31T12:12:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T20:40:22.000Z
- Description: In September 2026, 38% of 7,899 new arXiv maths papers acknowledged using AI, up from 1.7% a year earlier. The most common use was writing and editing (26% of all papers), then research help (19%).
- Author: Manu
- Tags: Data, AI Research, #chart, #hub-research

38%

of 7,899 new arXiv maths papers acknowledged using AI, September 2026 (1.7% a year earlier)

## What the chart shows

Epoch AI reads the full text of every new arXiv mathematics paper and records whether the authors acknowledge using AI, and for what. In September 2026, 38% of 7,899 papers did, against 1.7% a year earlier.

Most credit AI with writing and editing (26% of all papers) or research help (19%). 9.0% credit it with a substantial contribution to the research itself, and 1.7% with formal, machine-checked proofs.

## Key numbers

| Measure                           | Value |
| --------------------------------- | ----- |
| Writing and editing               | 26%   |
| Research help                     | 19%   |
| Substantial research contribution | 9.0%  |
| Code and computation              | 8.1%  |
| Literature review                 | 7.7%  |
| Formal proofs (Lean and similar)  | 1.7%  |
| Any use of AI                     | 38%   |
| Any use of AI, September 2025     | 1.7%  |

## How to read it

- A paper can acknowledge several uses, so the categories add up to more than the share using AI at all.
- Acknowledgements are what authors choose to declare; papers that used AI without saying so are not counted.
- For AI use across other fields, see the panel on the AI in Science topic.

**Source:** [Epoch AI](https://aiadoption.org/sources/#epoch-ai), 2026: [AI use in math research](https://epoch.ai/data/arxiv?ref=aiadoption.org), read 3 November 2026\. Chart and text by AI Adoption.  
Numbers checked against the published data on 3 November 2026.  
[Download the data (CSV)](https://charts.aiadoption.org/ai-index/csv/how-mathematicians-use-ai.csv?ref=aiadoption.org) · [Cite this chart](#source)