The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics honors the 'father' of machine learning technology

Machine Learning is a branch of AI that allows computers to learn and make predictions or decisions without being specifically programmed for each task. Instead, machine learning automatically finds patterns and rules from large data sets and then uses this knowledge to perform different tasks.

Machine learning is a powerful tool that is changing the way we live and work. With its ability to learn and adapt, machine learning is being widely applied in many different fields, from healthcare, finance to entertainment.

While expected to bring major breakthroughs in science and management, the emerging technology the duo is researching also raises concerns about a future in which humans could be surpassed by their own creations.

Dubbed the "father of AI", Geoffrey Hinton shocked the tech world when he decided to leave Google. He said the decision was to speak out more loudly about the potential risks of the technology he had worked so hard to research.

During a Nobel press conference by telephone from California, Hinton shared a thought-provoking perspective: "We have never had the experience of having beings more intelligent than us."

“It would be great in many ways, in areas like health care,” Hinton said. “But we also have to worry about some of the bad consequences that could happen. In particular, we have to be vigilant about the possibility of it spiraling out of control.”

Meanwhile, John Hopfield, 91, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University (USA), has created an associative memory that aims to simulate the way the human brain stores and recalls information. This memory is capable of storing and reproducing images as well as other data patterns.

Professor John Hopfield said: "When we create sufficiently complex systems, they can have behaviors that we cannot predict based on the original components. This suggests that within those systems, there may exist new physical laws that we have not yet fully discovered."

Sharing Hinton's view, John Hopfield stressed that we need to be cautious about the unexplored possibilities of AI, especially its unforeseen impacts.

"We all know that technology is often a double-edged sword, bringing both great benefits and hidden dangers," said Mr. John Hopfield.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said it was awarding the prize to the two scientists for using "the tools of physics to develop methods that form the basis of today's machine learning technology", which are "revolutionizing science, engineering and everyday life".

Geoffrey Hinton, 76, born in the UK, now an Emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto (Canada), invented a method that can automatically search for features in data and perform tasks such as identifying specific elements in images.

Although he left Google in 2023 after realizing computers could become smarter than humans much sooner than he and other experts expected, Hinton still appreciates the company's efforts to manage and develop technology responsibly.

Hinton admits that he regrets some of his earlier research, but he also emphasizes that those decisions were made based on limited understanding at the time.

"If I were put in the same situation, I would still make the same decision. However, I cannot help but worry about the possibility that the intelligent systems we create will go beyond human control," Mr. Hinton shared at a press conference.

Ellen Moons, Chair of the Nobel Prize in Physics, stressed that while machine learning offers significant benefits, we also need to face the challenges and risks that come with it. Using this technology responsibly is crucial to ensuring a good future for humanity.

The winners will share a prize worth up to 11 million Swedish kronor (about more than 1 million USD), according to the announcement of the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. This amount is taken from the huge legacy left by the great inventor Alfred Nobel.

This is considered one of the highest honors in the field of science. The prize money is not only a recognition of outstanding contributions but also a testament to the fierce competition to win this prestigious award.

Last year's Nobel Prize in Physics honored Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for their groundbreaking work in generating ultrashort pulses of light. This technology allows scientists to directly observe ultrafast processes taking place inside atoms, such as the movement of electrons.

Thanks to this, we can better understand the disease mechanism at the molecular level, opening up new prospects in developing effective diagnostic and treatment methods.

For over a century, the Nobel Prize has been one of the most prestigious honors any scientist can dream of achieving. Statistics show that, in the list of laureates, only 13 people are women, out of 229 people honored.

Phan Van Hoa