A billboard week for artificial intelligence research —— AI pioneers win The Nobel Prize

Brief Overview

The Nobel Prize, established in 1901 according to the will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, comprises five awards given annually in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award in its respective fields.

According to the announcement ofthe 2024 Nobel Prize, Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield have been awarded the Physics Prize for their pioneering contributions to the foundation of modern artificial intelligence. David Baker, John Jumper, and Demis Hassabis have jointly received the Chemistry Prize for uncovering the mysteries of proteins through artificial intelligence.

For a long time in AI development, it remained in the scientific background, often overlooked and underfunded — but the awarding of two Nobel Prizes within one week signifies its moment has finally arrived. Nonetheless, there are some who have reservations about these awards.

Nobel Prize in Physics — Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield

Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield applied physics methods to identify the characteristics of information, laying the groundwork for today's powerful machine learning techniques. Hopfield introduced the "Hopfield neural network," described similarly to the energy of spin systems in physics. Hinton proposed the "Boltzmann machine," which uses tools from statistical physics. Later, Hinton's work helped trigger the explosive development of modern machine learning, known as the deep learning revolution. Thus, the Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield, recognizing their contributions to machine learning.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry — David Baker, John Jumper, and Demis Hassabis

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry focuses on proteins, which are ingenious chemical tools of life. David Baker achieved an almost impossible feat by designing entirely new types of proteins. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper developed an AI model, AlphaFold 2, solving a 50-year-old problem: predicting complex protein structures. These discoveries open vast possibilities and promise significant potential. Thus, half of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to University of Washington professor David Baker for his contributions to "computational protein design," and the other half to Google DeepMind scientists Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for their work in protein structure prediction.

Different Perspectives on the Awarding of Prizes

1. Hinton’s Amusing Initial Reaction: "Could this be a scam call?"

Receiving a call at 2 a.m., Hinton thought it was a prank. He did not believe he won at first until multiple Swedish accents on the call confirmed the authenticity of his Nobel Physics Prize. He was very surprised as he hadn't known he would be nominated.

2. Sincere Congratulations

Some people congratulated them upon hearing the news, believing their research laid the groundwork for the deep learning revolution and underpins the modern field of AI, deserving the Nobel Prize in Physics.

3. Some Dissenting Voices

Some individuals argue that these studies are not closely related to physics, making the awarding inappropriate.

What Does Awarding the Nobel Prize to Interdisciplinary Work Mean for AI Research?

Artificial intelligence is closely intertwined with physics, biology, and chemistry. When complex data is fed into a neural network, it can extract key information layer by layer, involving the flow of information — a similar phenomenon in high-energy physics, essentially extracting valuable information. This showcases the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The awarding of Nobel Prizes to AI scientists highlights the growing importance of AI in scientific research, indicating AI technology is not just a tool but a core driver of scientific discovery and innovation. This award might inspire more scientists to engage in AI research, promoting the development of more efficient computational methods and algorithms.

Reflection

AI applications are well-integrated in daily life, such as text processing by XXAI, speech recognition by GPT, and image processing by DALLE.

AI applications are increasingly permeating various fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, materials science, and medicine, assisting scientists in data-driven research. We are entering a new era of interdisciplinary explosion. As a confluence of computer science, physics, mathematics, and other disciplines, AI significantly impacts data analysis and engineering design, fundamentally changing research methods in biology, astronomy, and traditional physics. Its role in transforming scientific research is crucial, and interdisciplinary approaches are key to advancing computational technology development. Thus, should awarding the Nobel Prize to AI pioneers be an issue, or should it be encouraged?