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: 01.07.2025 05:31
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
"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?"
What was the worst thing that ever happened on live TV?
Why wait any longer for the one you love?
You can have your cake and eat it too
There you go.^†
As Trump touts tariff deal, China pitches itself as global trade leader - The Washington Post
Whatever.
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:
When he's standing, in front of you
Candace Cameron Bure, 49, Flaunts Ultra-Toned Body in Bikini - AOL.com
Whatever.
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
[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."
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
Russell takes win in Canada as Piastri and Norris collide - Formula 1
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
(Mumbles of assent)
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.
How does it feel to watch your wife get fucked hard?
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
^† They rationalise their decision thusly:
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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.
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
Switzerland proposes forcing UBS to add $26bn in capital - Financial Times
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
[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.
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*