Geoffrey Hinton, one of the most known names lately, has won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics. He shares his Nobel Prize award with John Hopfield from Princeton University. His and their work on artificial intelligence and machine learning have transformed technology as we see it in our world today.
Ironically, Hinton was stirred up to find out he won the call for the Nobel Prize. Hinton was in one of the dirtiest hotels in California. Moreover, he did not have an internet connection. To say the least, he says that is the moment of shock. The first thought is: could this be a scam? Then a thick Swedish accent, he knew so it was true. It is joy, as he terms his state upon looking forward to sharing the moment with his long term partner, Rosary Gartner.

Two mentors Hinton relates that significantly influenced his career were two great mentors. First is David Rumelhart who collaborated with Hinton in developing the backpropagation algorithm. The backpropagation algorithm is crucial to many applications in AI. The second great mentor is Terry Sejnowski. Terry helped Hinton develop further some contributions of Hopfield. He teamed up with Hinton in developing what they call Boltzmann machines.
The Rise of AI
Hinton thought about AI importance at its inception and did not think it would be this important so soon. He thought that AI had to take much more time to become something in our everyday life. Now, he sees that AI is changing rapidly and will do the same.
The last decade has seen remarkable progress in AI. In comparison with what was ten years ago, the abilities that AI had at that time were much lower than what is being portrayed in today’s stage. According to Hinton, we shall see far greater changes within another ten years. He feels that AI may lead to a new Industrial Revolution, just as the previous one shifted sectors, such as the health and climate change sectors.

Concerns Over AI
Though AI excites, Hinton still has serious concerns. He thinks that within the next 20 years, we might create an AI system smarter than man. It is a disturbing idea since we have never faced such a situation before. Hinton urges that the world needs to be prepared now so that these systems do not take away control from people.
He highlights that it is essential for scientists, especially the young researchers, to take the issue of safety into consideration while developing AI. He says, “This would be fine if big companies were willing to spend enormous amounts of money on safety research. The problem is that big companies don’t really care about safety – they only care about making as much money as they can.”.
Hinton likened the AI problem to climate change. We know exactly how to solve the climate crisis, but we have no solution such as that to tamp down advanced AI. He warned government leaders to finance young researchers to work on solutions about keeping AI in check.

AI as a Research Partner
Hinton further discussed the possibility of using AI as a resource to explore even further. When AI gets smarter, it can help in developing more advanced AI. The thought is exciting but raises questions about control in the meantime. Could we let AI monitor itself? Hinton thinks that it is something hard to make decisions about.
A Glimpse into the Future
As Hinton prepares to return to Toronto to give talks, he is eager to share his insights. In this talk, he planned to explain how fast AI is progressing and its benefits in the healthcare sector. Imagine visiting a doctor who has treated millions of people and remembers everything there is to know about their health and genetics. That is what Hinton believes will be the future of health care.
Conclusion: In a word, Hinton’s journey and his thoughts about AI are very inspiring. Winning the Nobel Prize is prestige, but it also means a responsibility to take the cause further. Hinton hopes awareness of the danger implicit in the rise of AI could thereby be matched by rejoicing over the other great benefits the world would see. The rest of the world is abuzz with what he and others do in this thrilling yet trying new landscape.