They are considered pioneers of artificial intelligence: John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton receive the Nobel Prize in Physics. But the pioneers of AI also warn about the dangers of the technology.
“Whenever I want to know the answer to something, I just ask ChatGPT4,” said newly crowned Nobel Prize winner in physics Geoffrey Hinton shortly after the announcement. “But I don’t completely trust her because she can hallucinate.” The computer scientist is considered the “Godfather of AI”, i.e. the godfather or forefather of artificial intelligence. His research and the discovery of second prize winner John Hopfield are considered the basis for the rapid development of AI in recent years, but also in the decades before.
Despite the “enormous advantages” of this progress, the Nobel Prize Committee also warns against irresponsible use of the technology. Nobel Prize winner Hinton is also concerned about the rapid development. When asked whether he regrets his development, he answers that he doesn’t want to undo anything. At the same time, he expresses awe at the possible consequences: “It might not end well in the end.”
Artificial intelligence – how it all began
The award winners Hopfield and Hinton laid the foundation for artificial intelligence as we know it today. They used the principles of physics to design and train artificial neural networks. These neural networks are used everywhere today, explained Professor Gregor Kasieczka from the Institute for Experimental Physics at the University of Hamburg in an interview with tagesschau 24. “Neural networks are the technology that is in everything that says AI today.”
Neural networks work similarly to a brain: They consist of connected nodes – like the network of neurons, i.e. nerve cells, in the brain. These artificial neural networks can then be trained with images and texts, for example. A chatbot can then use complicated statistical methods to generate answers that are as natural as possible, or even images and videos.
Dangers of AI
When announcing the Nobel Prize, prize winner Hinton compared the current progress in the field of artificial intelligence with the Industrial Revolution. But instead of surpassing humans in physical strength, artificial intelligence would now surpass them in intellectual abilities.
“We have no experience with what it’s like when there are things smarter than us,” Hinton points out. He is concerned that “ultimately systems will emerge that are more intelligent than us and will eventually take control.”
The Nobel Prize Committee also appeals to people’s responsibility that the technology must be used “safely and ethically for the benefit of humanity.”
Revolution in medicine, climate research and more?
What happens when the potential of AI is used for the benefit of humanity can already be seen today: For example, solar cells can be made more efficient through AI-supported material development so that more energy can be obtained from sunlight. Artificial intelligence ensures higher resolution in climate models – this means that possible consequences of climate change, for example in cities, can be predicted more accurately.
AI-supported image recognition also makes a difference in medicine better diagnostics or can Assisting surgeons during an operation. Hopfield and Hinton’s models have also provided important foundations for modern AI chatbot systems, such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.
If we continue the success of artificial intelligence into the future, it could enable “significantly better health care,” explains award winner Hinton. The progress could be expanded to many other areas of application: “People will be able to do the same amount of work in a much shorter time with an AI assistant,” said the computer scientist.
Hopfield and Hinton: Their path to the Nobel Prize
John J. Hopfield is an American physicist best known for his work in the field of artificial neural networks. He was born on July 15, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois and has worked at prestigious institutions such as Princeton University and the California Institute of Technology.
In 1982 he achieved his breakthrough with the Hopfield network named after him, for which he is now being honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics. The network is a type of “associative memory” that can store and restore learned patterns.
The computer scientist and cognitive psychologist Geoffrey E. Hinton, born in London in 1947, further developed this Hopfield network using statistical physics. Based on this, neural networks can now not only restore known patterns, but also process unknown data and recognize similarities. For example, if the network were trained with images of cars of a certain brand, it could then also recognize images of cars of another brand and classify them as “cars”.
From 2013 onwards, in addition to his work as a professor, Hinton also worked for Google’s AI division. Last year he resigned so that he could speak freely about the dangers of artificial intelligence.