Definition
Plain language
Translating an ordinary math statement into the strict form a proof checker can read.
As stated in the literature
The task of converting informal mathematical statements into formal Lean (or other proof-assistant) syntax, typically done by an LLM and used as a precondition for automated proof search.
Also called: autoformalize, autoformalized
Why it matters: It's the bridge between human mathematics and machine-checkable proof, without which AI provers can't even start work on most math literature.
For example, autoformalization translates the sentence 'every even number greater than two is the sum of two primes' into Lean syntax a proof checker can verify.
Heard on the show
“" And then a different Gemini-based agent autoformalized them into Lean.”Episode 067 — An AI Just Solved a 1996 Erdős Problem—and the Simplest Agent Won