John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks,” the Nobel Committee for Physics announced.
“This year’s physics laureates’ breakthroughs stand on the foundations of physical science,” the committee said on X. “They have showed a completely new way for us to use computers to aid and to guide us to tackle many of the challenges our society face.”
In announcing the award, the committee noted that machine learning “has long been important for research, including the sorting and analysis of vast amounts of data.”
“John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton used tools from physics to construct methods that helped lay the foundation for today’s powerful machine learning,” the committee said. “Machine learning based on artificial neural networks is currently revolutionizing science, engineering and daily life.”
Mr. Hopfield, from Chicago, is a professor at Princeton University, and Mr. Hinton, from London, is a professor at the University of Toronto.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
Who received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics?
The prize was shared by Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier for work that let scientists capture the motions of subatomic particles moving at impossible speeds.
Who else has received a Nobel Prize in the sciences this year?
On Monday, the prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA, which helps determine how cells develop and function.
When will the other Nobel Prizes be announced?
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be awarded on Wednesday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Last year, the prize went to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for discovering and developing quantum dots that are expected to lead to advances in electronics, solar cells and encrypted quantum information.
The Nobel Prize in Literature will be awarded on Thursday by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. Last year, Jon Fosse of Norway was honored for plays and prose that gave “voice to the unsayable.”
The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. Last year, Narges Mohammadi, an activist in Iran, was recognized “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.” Ms. Mohammadi is serving a 10-year sentence in an Iranian prison where her attorneys have raised concerns about her well-being.
Next week, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be awarded on Monday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Last year, Claudia Goldin was awarded for her research uncovering the reasons for gender gaps in labor force participation and earnings.
All of the prize announcements are streamed live by the Nobel Prize organization.