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?
Last Updated: 03.07.2025 00:02
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
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:
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
Here’s a Tip to Companies: Beware of Promoting AI in Products - WSJ
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
When he's standing, in front of you
[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.
You can have your cake and eat it too
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
Filmmakers/Actors Vote On 21st Century Films - Dark Horizons
"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?"
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
Elden Ring Nightreign Patch Notes Include Promised Improvements For Solo Play - GameSpot
Why wait any longer for the one you love?
There you go.^†
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
If babies could write, what questions would they ask on Quora?
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
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.
Oilers-Panthers tale of the tape: Who has the edge in Cup Final rematch? - theScore.com
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.
Whatever.
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
Man thought he was 'tired from work' before brain tumour diagnosis - BBC
[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."
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
Whatever.
In space, no one can hear you scream — But it still gets incredibly noisy - Salon.com
^† They rationalise their decision thusly:
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
(Mumbles of assent)
Astronomers discover a tiny star with a giant planet that should not exist - Earth.com