On complex problems with lengthy proofs, the first step that I would have done is to ask 5.5 pro in a new, unrelated, session, to be very critical, to try to find flaws in the arguments.
And certainly not to send it to a fellow colleague to ask its opinion first.
LLMs are certainly becoming capable to code, find vulnerabilities, solve mathematical problems, but we need to avoid putting their works in production, or in front of other humans, without assessing it by any possible mean.
Otherwise tech leads, maintainers, experts get overwhelmed and this is how the « AI slop » fatigue begins.
To be clear I’m talking about this step:
> That preprint would have been hard for me to read, as that would have meant carefully reading Rajagopal’s paper first, but I sent it to Nathanson, who forwarded it to Rajagopal, who said he thought it looked correct.
> but we need to avoid putting their works in production, or in front of other humans, without assessing it by any possible mean.
I think this is good advice in general, maybe with an emphasis on public vs. private, friendly contact. Having 0 thought AI slop thrown at you out of the blue is rude. "could have been a prompt" indeed. But having a friend/colleague ask for a quick glance at something they know you handle well is another story for me.
If I've worked on a subject for a few years, and know the particulars in and out, I'd have no trouble skimming something that a friend or a colleague sent me. I am sparing those 5-10 minutes for the friend, not for what they sent. And for an expert in a particular domain, often 5 minutes is all it takes for a "lgtm" or "lol no".