Home ‘Godfather of AI’ wins Nobel Prize for pioneering AI and machine learning

‘Godfather of AI’ wins Nobel Prize for pioneering AI and machine learning

TLDR

  • Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield won the Nobel Prize in Physics for AI and machine learning innovations.
  • Their foundational work enables advancements in artificial neural networks and deep learning.
  • Hinton expressed surprise at the award, highlighting AI's potential to exceed human intellectual capabilities.

Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, specifically for their work on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

British-Canadian Professor Hinton is sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of AI,” while American Professor John Hopfield is a professor at Princeton University in the US. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said that the pair were jointly awarded “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

“The laureates’ work has already been of the greatest benefit. In physics we use artificial neural networks in a vast range of areas, such as developing new materials with specific properties,” says Ellen Moons, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

Meanwhile, it has been a big week for Nobel Prizes in the world of artificial intelligence as DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Director John Jumper, shared the chemistry prize with David Baker, who is head of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington. Hassabis and Jumper won the award for “protein structure prediction,” while Baker’s was for “computational protein design.”

Hinton resigned from Google in 2023 and has warned about the dangers of machines that could outsmart humans. However, following the announcement, the 76-year-old said “I had no idea this would happen. I’m very surprised.”

Why AI is at the forefront of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics

The University of Toronto professor’s groundbreaking work on neural networks laid the foundation for modern AI systems like ChatGPT.

Neural networks are a type of artificial intelligence inspired by the way the human brain learns and processes information. They allow AI to learn from experience much like a human, a process known as deep learning.

Hinton described his contributions to artificial neural networks as revolutionary. His pioneering research on neural networks paved the way for today’s AI systems, including ChatGPT. “It’s going to be like the Industrial Revolution,” he said, “but instead of our physical capabilities, it’s going to exceed our intellectual capabilities.”

Neural networks, a fundamental concept in artificial intelligence, mimic the learning and processing mechanisms of the human brain, allowing AI to learn from experience in a manner similar to humans—something called deep learning.

Despite his accomplishments, ReadWrite has previously reported that Hinton expressed concerns about the future of AI. When asked last year if he regretted his life’s work, he admitted he would still make the same choices but added, “I worry that the overall consequences of this might be systems that are more intelligent than us that might eventually take control.”

What is the Hopfield network?

The committee also provided background information regarding why the scientists received the prize, stating that the “Hopfield network” was similar to that of the brain’s associative memory. The 91-year-old is said to have discovered this pattern in 1982.

It explained: “Hopfeld described the overall state of the network with a property that is equivalent to the energy in the spin system found in physics; the energy is calculated using a formula that uses all the values of the nodes and all the strengths of the connections between them.”

When the network is given an incomplete or slightly distorted pattern, the method can find the stored pattern that is most similar.

The winners share a prize fund worth 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).

Featured image: YouTube @bhadeshia123 / Ramsey Cardy / Collision via Sportsfile

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Suswati Basu
Tech journalist

Suswati Basu is a multilingual, award-winning editor and the founder of the intersectional literature channel, How To Be Books. She was shortlisted for the Guardian Mary Stott Prize and longlisted for the Guardian International Development Journalism Award. With 18 years of experience in the media industry, Suswati has held significant roles such as head of audience and deputy editor for NationalWorld news, digital editor for Channel 4 News and ITV News. She has also contributed to the Guardian and received training at the BBC As an audience, trends, and SEO specialist, she has participated in panel events alongside Google. Her…

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