Geoff Hinton and John Hopfield Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics for Pioneering Contributions to Foundational AI

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has revealed the recipients of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics. Geoff Hinton and John Hopfield have been jointly honored for their groundbreaking contributions to artificial neural networks, which began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They received this prestigious award for their “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

This announcement arrives at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is recognized as a defining force in what many are calling the fourth industrial revolution. Key innovators in the AI sector are increasingly being celebrated for their impact. Earlier this year, Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, was bestowed with a knighthood in the U.K. for his “services to artificial intelligence.”

Hinton is a leading figure in AI research, having laid the foundation for numerous advancements in the field over recent years. He is often referred to as the “godfather of deep learning.” After obtaining his PhD in artificial intelligence in 1978, he co-developed the backpropagation algorithm, a key technique that enables neural networks to learn from errors, thereby revolutionizing AI model training.

In 2013, Hinton joined Google following the acquisition of his company, DNNresearch. However, he left the tech giant last year due to concerns about AI’s role in the dissemination of misinformation. Currently, Hinton serves as a professor at the University of Toronto.

Hopfield, a professor at Princeton University, is also recognized as a pioneer in foundational AI research. He introduced the Hopfield network, a type of neural network that illustrates how these systems can store and retrieve patterns, closely resembling human memory. His work demonstrated how principles from biology and physics could be integrated into computational models.

Nobel Prize winners, known as "laureates," are celebrated for their achievements with a gold medal, a diploma, and a cash prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1 million), which is divided among multiple winners. The honor also confers global recognition.

“The laureates' contributions have already proven immensely beneficial,” stated Ellen Moons, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics. “In the realm of physics, artificial neural networks are employed across a wide range of applications, including the development of new materials with tailored properties.”