The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to AI pioneers Geoffrey E. Hinton and John J. Hopfield. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognizes their groundbreaking work in the field of artificial neural networks. The prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately 1.06 million US dollars) will be shared equally between the two laureates.
Hinton, also known as the “Godfather of AI,” laid the foundation for modern AI applications with his research on artificial neural networks. His Boltzmann machine and work on deep learning revolutionized areas such as image recognition and natural language processing. Hopfield developed an associative memory model capable of storing and reconstructing patterns in data.
Despite his accolade, Hinton increasingly expresses concerns about the potential dangers of uncontrolled AI development. He warns of unintended consequences such as misinformation, job loss, and even existential threats. Hinton left his position at Google in 2023 to speak more openly about these risks. The work of both prize winners has already influenced various fields such as materials science and healthcare, and continues to drive the rapid development of AI.
Sources: Bloomberg, VentureBeat
