US scientist John Hopfield and im British-Canadian colleague Geoffrey Hinton, wey dem dey call di ‘godfather of artificial intelligence’, don win di 2024 Nobel Prize for Physics because of di work wey dem do for machine learning and artificial neural networks.
Di academy tok for dia official X account say, "Di two Nobel Laureates for Physics dis year don use tools from physics take develop methods wey be di foundation of di strong machine learning wey we dey see today."
Dem also tok say, "Dem don show us new way to take use computer help us solve di many wahala wey society dey face."
Di Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, as dem announce di award, hail di scientists for di "transformative contributions" wey don make machine learning fit process plenty data and make decisions like human brain.
Who be di two Nobel laureates?
John Hopfield, wey be 91 years old professor emeritus for Princeton University, na di person wey develop di Hopfield Network for di 1980s. E use physics principles take model associative memory. E work help us understand how neural networks fit simulate memory and learning.
Geoffrey Hinton, wey be 76 years old and professor emeritus for University of Toronto, na di person wey invent method wey fit find properties for data and do tasks like identifying specific things for pictures. E even resign from Google for 2023 because e notice say computers fit smart pass humans faster than wetin dem expect.
Hinton tok say, "I no believe am, I no expect say dis kind thing go happen, e shock me well well." E also add say, "Dis one go be like di industrial revolution. Machine Learning go pass human beings for intellectual abilities."
Even though e highlight di many ways wey AI fit help, like for healthcare, AI assistants, and work productivity, e still warn say Machine Learning fit cause wahala if control comot from hand.
Di impact of dia work
Hopfield and Hinton work don move from theory enter practical use wey dey affect our daily life. Di Hopfield Network show how neural networks fit copy di way human brain dey process and store information.
Hinton extend di Hopfield Network with di Boltzmann machine, wey dey use statistical physics take learn and recognise patterns for data. Dis machine dey trained with examples wey fit show during operation, and e fit classify images or create new examples based on wetin e don learn.
Hinton work on backpropagation change di way neural networks dey trained, as e make dem fit learn from dia mistakes. Dis method na di backbone of di deep learning systems wey dey power things like speech recognition, computer vision, and natural language processing.
Without backpropagation, neural networks no go fit improve well or do di complex tasks wey dem dey do today. From voice recognition to medical tools, dia work na di foundation of di AI revolution.
Di Nobel Committee tok say dia work don make AI fit sort and analyse plenty data well well for different sectors. Dem add say, "Machine learning based on artificial neural networks dey change science, engineering, and daily life."
Global concerns
Di committee also acknowledge di global concern wey dey surround machine learning and artificial intelligence. Ellen Moons, wey be chair of di Nobel Committee for Physics, tok say, "Even though machine learning get plenty benefits, di fast way e dey develop don raise concern about our future."
She add say, "Humans get di responsibility to use dis new technology in a safe and ethical way wey go benefit everybody."
Hinton don already take action on dis concern before, as e resign from Google to talk openly about di risks wey dey follow di technology wey e help develop. E still dey express concern about di "bad consequences" wey fit happen if di technology comot for control.
Even with all dis worry, e tok say e no go change di decisions wey e don make before.
Di Nobel Prize, wey people dey see as di highest honour for physicists, na di will of Alfred Nobel wey also include awards for science, literature, medicine, and peace. Di prize money na 1.1 million dollars, wey dem go share between di two winners.
Di Physics prize na di second Nobel Prize wey dem don announce dis week, after di medicine prize wey US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun win for dia discovery of microRNA and how e dey regulate genes, wey don help us understand how cells dey specialise.
