> I guess I was wondering where math fit in this picture for AI research.
Well you can't do #1 or #2 without having a level of maths proficiency that most college grads do not have.
FWIW, I don't understand the difference between #1 and #2 above. Most academic/industrial research is incremental (i.e. #1), and a tiiiiny % will have any impact in the way something like XGBoost would (the example he gave in another comment). That doesn't mean that the non-impactful research isn't 'basic'. You could alternatively just call #2 "groundbreaking research" and #1 "non groundbreaking research, but you need mathematics knowledge for both imo.
I see what you mean. It seems possible the distinction is perhaps academic at best, a matter of perception. (I certainly don't have a personal opinion, yet! but point taken, and the continuity you speak of seems more realistic tbh).
Well you can't do #1 or #2 without having a level of maths proficiency that most college grads do not have.
FWIW, I don't understand the difference between #1 and #2 above. Most academic/industrial research is incremental (i.e. #1), and a tiiiiny % will have any impact in the way something like XGBoost would (the example he gave in another comment). That doesn't mean that the non-impactful research isn't 'basic'. You could alternatively just call #2 "groundbreaking research" and #1 "non groundbreaking research, but you need mathematics knowledge for both imo.