AI Pioneers Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield Awarded 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics
Stockholm, Sweden – The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics hasbeen awarded to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton for their groundbreaking discoveries and inventions in using artificial neural networks to achieve machine learning. The two scientists willshare the 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately 7.45 million Chinese yuan) prize money.
Their work has not only propelled the development of computationalneuroscience but also laid the foundation for the widespread application of deep learning technology, including breakthroughs in speech recognition and image recognition.
The Nobel Committee stated, This year’s physics laureates’ breakthroughs are built on the foundations of physical science. Theyhave shown us a completely new way for computers to help and guide us in tackling many of the challenges facing society.
The committee also highlighted the importance of machine learning in scientific research, stating, Machine learning has long been crucial for scientific research, includingthe classification and analysis of large amounts of data… John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton used tools from physics to build methods that helped lay the foundation for today’s powerful machine learning. Machine learning based on artificial neural networks is now revolutionizing science, engineering, and everyday life.
Geoffrey Hinton
Born in Wimbledon, Englandin 1947, Geoffrey Hinton is the great-great-grandson of logician George Boole, whose work in Boolean algebra forms the basis of modern computer science. His father, Howard Hinton, was a British entomologist, and his uncle, Colin Clark, was a renowned economist who coined the term Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Hinton earned his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh in 1978. After teaching for five years at Carnegie Mellon University, he became a researcher at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and joined the University of Toronto’s Department of Computer Science, where heis currently an emeritus professor. In March 2013, he joined Google and is currently the Chief Scientific Advisor of the Vector Institute.
Hinton is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received numerous awards throughout his career,including the David Rumelhart Prize for his contributions to the field of neural networks.
John Hopfield
John Hopfield, born in 1933, is a renowned physicist and neuroscientist. He is known for his pioneering work in theoretical neuroscience, particularly his development of the Hopfield network,a type of recurrent neural network that has had a significant impact on machine learning.
Hopfield earned his PhD in theoretical physics from Cornell University in 1960. He held positions at Bell Laboratories and Princeton University before joining Caltech in 1980, where he remained until his retirement in 2003.
Hopfield’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Medal of Science in 2001. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes the fundamental contributions of GeoffreyHinton and John Hopfield to the field of artificial intelligence. Their work has laid the groundwork for the development of powerful AI systems that are transforming various aspects of our lives.
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