It is interesting to note that these two laureates have a somewhat atypical path for Nobel Prizes in physics. Indeed, their work lies at the border between physics, computer science and neuroscience. This is what gives them all their strength: they have been able to use physics concepts to model the functioning of the brain and apply them to computing. This interdisciplinary approach is reminiscent of that of Alan Turing, considered the father of modern computing.
He too was able to make the link between mathematics, biology and computer science to lay the theoretical foundations of AI in the 1950s. Geoffrey Hinton is not in fact receiving his first prestigious award. In 2018, he had already received the Turing Prize (often nicknamed the “Nobel of computing”) alongside Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun, two other pioneers of machine learning.
So, this Nobel Prize, a consecration for AI? Certainly ! But it’s also a reminder that today’s major technological advances often build on foundational work carried out decades ago. A good excuse to delve into the fascinating history of this discipline which shapes our present and our future.
