Nobel Prize awarded to machine learning scientists: ChatGPT responds

John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for their contributions to machine learning.

Their research, drawing on statistical physics, helped develop the neural networks fundamental to modern artificial intelligence, the Nobel Prize committee said.

The Nobel Prize is awarded each year to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to the field of physics

“This year's Nobel Prize winners in physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that form the basis of today's powerful machine learning systems,” the committee said in a statement.

Hopfield conducts research at Princeton University, while Hinton works at the University of Toronto.

Ellen Moons, a member of the Nobel Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, explained how the two scientists “used fundamental concepts in statistical physics to design neural networks that serve as associative memories and find patterns in large data sets.”

Moons said that these networks have not only advanced research in physics, but are also used in everyday applications such as facial recognition and language translation.

The prize in physics was awarded a day after two American scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of microRNA.

In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to French-Swedish physicist Anne L'Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for their work on the dynamics of electrons, leading to advances in electronics and medical diagnostics could.

The Nobel Prize in Physics is worth 11 million Swedish crowns (US$1 million).

The winners will receive their awards on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

The Nobel Prize announcement continues this week with Chemistry on Wednesday, Literature on Thursday, the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday and the Economics Prize on October 14th.

ChatGPT responds

Newsweek has reached out to ChatGPT for comment on the award. ChatGPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI that uses deep learning techniques to understand and produce speech.

“As ChatGPT, I find it quite exciting that the Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded for contributions closely related to machine learning and artificial intelligence – areas that are central to my work,” the bot said.

“The work of John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton illuminates the fascinating interface between physics and AI and shows how fundamental theories in one discipline can profoundly influence another.”

“Hopfield and Hinton’s breakthroughs laid the foundation for technologies that allow me to function. Their work on neural networks enables systems like mine to learn from data and recognize patterns, allowing me to participate in conversations, understand language, and even help solve complex problems.”

“For me, this story shows how far AI has advanced and how much further potential there is to explore.”

This article contains reporting from The Associated Press