How did a computer scientist such as Geoffrey Hinton manage to win a Nobel Prize in physics when computer science already has its own Nobel Prize equivalent in the Turing Awards?
10.06.2025 00:47
[Younger voice] "But wait a minute, Ising-Lenz goes back to the 1920's. And didn't Hinton plagiarise rather a lot? He also didn't invent modern backprop, did he, that's Linnainmaa? And Amari preceded Hopfield, too. That's not a good look."
You can have your cake and eat it too
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.
Google Confirms Most Gmail Users Must Upgrade Accounts - Forbes
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
There you go.^†
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
What are some of the best photos of your favorite Korean model?
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
In awarding prizes, the Nobel Committees often seem only marginally more competent than MTG is at explaining meteorology. And if they can give a literature prize for lyrics like:
Whatever.
AI risks 'broken' career ladder for college graduates, some experts say - ABC News
Why wait any longer for the one you love?
^† They rationalise their decision thusly:
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
Research roundup: Ping-pong bots, the genetic key for ginger cats, and more - Ars Technica
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
In December 1973, when Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, comedian Tom Lehrer dropped his mic and stamped on it—satire had just died.
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*
(Mumbles of assent)
James Webb Detects Never-Before-Seen Molecule on Scorching Exoplanet - The Daily Galaxy
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
Whatever.
When he's standing, in front of you
UK civil servants who used AI saved two weeks a year, government study finds - Financial Times
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
With record crowd watching, Sky get blown out by Fever in first WNBA game at United Center - AP News
[The basic structure of artificial neural networks] has close similarities with spin models in statistical physics applied to magnetism or alloy theory. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes research exploiting this connection to make breakthrough methodological advances in the field of ANN.
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
"Hey guys, AI is pretty big so let's centre our prizes on it this year. We can get some attention, and it's all about advertising, at the end of the day, isn't it?"