John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton will be conferred with the coveted Nobel Prize for their contribution in Physics, the Royal Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden announced Tuesday. According to the Academy’s announcement, the two physicists used Physics to develop methods which form the basis of machine learning breakthroughs,
“The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks,” Nobel Prize wrote on its official X handle.
Using physics tools, Geoffrey Hinton invented a method which automatically finds properties in data, allowing AI-based systems to identify specific elements in pictures.
On the other hand, John Hopfield created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other patterns in data, according to the announcement.
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded for exemplary work in the field of physics. In 2023, the award went to three scientists who captured the first split-second glimpse of spinning electrons.
The discovery by the three Nobel laureates – Anne L’Huillier, Pierre Agostini, and Ferenc Krausz, could help in designing and improving electronics, besides helping in the diagnosis of various diseases in the near future.
Th discovery is also important in nano-technology which is being is being touted as the next big leap.
Besides the fame, the Nobel Prize in Physics comes with a cash reward of of 11 million Swedish kronor (around ₹8.3 crore), funded by a bequest from its creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.