NEWS – The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for their groundbreaking contributions to artificial intelligence (AI).

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hopfield, an American scientist, is known for his work in biological physics, while Hinton, a British-Canadian, is renowned as the ‘godfather of AI.’
• Their work has laid the foundation for modern machine learning and neural networks.

How AI Mimics the Brain

• The human brain processes information via sensory inputs, memory, and learning.
• AI mimics these functions, enabling machines to perform tasks like identifying cancer-affected cells by recognizing patterns, similar to how a child can identify a cat they’ve never seen before.

John Hopfield’s Contribution

• Hopfield developed a network of nodes to mimic human associative memory, where past experiences (e.g., smells) trigger recollections.
• His “Hopfield network” stores patterns and can recreate them when presented with partial or distorted information.
• Initially developed in the 1980s, Hopfield’s network continues to be refined.

Geoffrey Hinton’s Contribution

• Hinton built on the Hopfield network to develop the Boltzmann machine, using concepts from statistical physics.
• The Boltzmann machine learns from examples, recognizing familiar patterns in new information.
• It mirrors human pattern recognition, such as identifying a friend’s sibling without prior exposure.

Concerns Around AI

• Hinton expressed concerns about AI, especially the spread of false information and job displacement.
• He warned that AI tools could make it difficult for people to discern truth from fabricated content.