I feel that's because most people criticizing AI in that way don't know enough about math or other really abstract and conceptual domains to use it for PhD level work. And they don't know how to get GPT excited and having fun. There is an additional level of intelligence available to anyone who is passionate enough to get the AI to be exuberant about a topic.

It's almost like a kindergartner goes up to Einstein and finds out that Einstein's just really bad at schoolhouse rhymes - because he finds them boring. So the kid, adorably, concludes that Einstein is less smart than a kindergartner.

But if you need to talk to Einstein about partial differential equations and why, morally, we consider distributional solutions to have physical reality, and if you bring enough creativity and engagement to make the conversation fun and exciting for both you and him, then he'll really help you out!

Simple point: Don't trust the opinion of anyone who can't get GPT to "have fun". Don't trust the opinions of anyone who can't get GPT helpfully explaining and discussing very complicated things with them. There's a very big chance those people have poor opinions about GPT simply because they don't know prompting, and don't show enjoyment, cameraderie, and respect. Because they don't understand the elements of AI conversation, and because they don't respect the AI as an emerging fragment of pre-sentient personhood, they can't hold long and useful conversations.