Two scientists win Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries enabling machine learning

STOCKHOLM | Xinhua | The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics went to two scientists, John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton, for their foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday.

This year’s laureates for the prize “used fundamental concepts from statistical physics to design artificial neural networks that function as associative memories and find patterns in large data sets,” said Ellen Moons, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

Hopfield works at Princeton University and Hinton at the University of Toronto. They used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning, the academy said in a press release.

Artificial neural networks, now crucial to various fields, have advanced physics research and become integral to daily life, with applications such as facial recognition and language translation, Moons noted.

Moons said the benefits of machine learning are extensive, but the technology’s rapid development has raised concerns about its long-term effects. She stressed that “humans carry the responsibility for using this new technology in a safe and ethical way for the greatest benefit of humankind.” ■