Architects of modern AI honored with prestigious Nobel Prize

Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield have been honored with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for their groundbreaking contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, specifically in the development of neural networks.

Hinton, often referred to as the "godfather of artificial intelligence," made headlines last year when he resigned from Google to speak more freely about the potential risks of AI—a technology he significantly helped to develop. In the 1980s, he played a key role in creating the backpropagation technique, which allows algorithms to learn, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

This process works as follows: The algorithm examines images to identify different animals, reviewing its errors afterward. If the algorithm misidentifies an animal, it traces back to determine which part of its processing caused the mistake. It then adjusts its internal parameters to avoid repeating those errors. Through countless iterations, where tens of thousands of images may be analyzed, the algorithm improves its accuracy—essentially how computers "learn." John Hopfield contributed to the concept of “associative memory,” developing a type of computer memory that mimics human brain function. 

His model resembles a vast connect-the-dot picture, where each dot represents a piece of information. Just as our brains form associations between concepts, the associative memory system establishes links between related pieces of information by connecting various elements. Remarkably, this type of memory can fill in gaps when given partial information. For instance, if shown half of a smiley face in a game of Pictionary, you could mentally complete the drawing. You start by providing some information—like part of an image or a few words from a sentence—and the system uses that as a foundation. It navigates through connections, akin to following a breadcrumb trail, until it identifies a coherent pattern that completes the memory. 

The more these memory systems are utilized, the better they become at establishing connections and accurately recalling information. This kind of memory can manage "noisy" or unclear information, similar to how you can recognize a friend's voice in a crowded room. Hopfield's work allowed computers to memorize and retrieve information in a manner more akin to human cognition, enhancing their ability to recognize patterns and fill in missing details. 

Both Hopfield's and Hinton's contributions laid the groundwork for the AI we use today. The annual award carries a cash prize of $1 million, funded by a bequest from Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor who established the prize. The recipients in each category—economics, physics, peace, literature, medicine, and chemistry—are invited to accept their awards at ceremonies on December 10, marking the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.

By Naila Huseynova