Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics went to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton 'for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks'.
Key facts
- Announced 8 October 2024
- Hopfield: Hopfield network (associative memory, 1982)
- Hinton: Boltzmann machine and foundational deep learning work
- Hinton used the occasion to warn about AI risks
What happened
The Physics Nobel recognized neural network research rooted in statistical physics.
Why it matters
Together with the Chemistry prize a day later, it marked unprecedented recognition of AI by science's most prestigious award.
Changelog
- 2026-09-29: created
Related events
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry for protein design and AlphaFold ★★★★★
- Hinton's deep belief nets launch the 'deep learning' revival ★★★★
- Hinton, LeCun and Bengio receive the Turing Award for deep learning ★★★
- Geoffrey Hinton leaves Google so he can speak freely about AI risks ★★★★
Sources (3)
- officialNobel Prize in Physics 2024 press release (NobelPrize.org)
- officialNobel Prize in Physics 2024 summary (NobelPrize.org)
- discussionWikipedia: Geoffrey Hinton
id: 2024-10-08-nobel-physics-hopfield-hinton · updated 2026-09-29 · open in the interactive timeline