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arXiv · 2205.07811

Natural Language Specifications in Proof Assistants

Colin S. Gordon·Sergey Matskevich
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Abstract

Interactive proof assistants are computer programs carefully constructed to check a human-designed proof of a mathematical claim with high confidence in the implementation. However, this only validates truth of a formal claim, which may have been mistranslated from a claim made in natural language. This is especially problematic when using proof assistants to formally verify the correctness of software with respect to a natural language specification. The translation from informal to formal remains a challenging, time-consuming process that is difficult to audit for correctness. This paper argues that it is possible to build support for natural language specifications within existing proof assistants, in a way that complements the principles used to establish trust and auditability in proof assistants themselves.

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Colin S. Gordon, Sergey Matskevich. 2022-05-16. Natural Language Specifications in Proof Assistants. https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.07811

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