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: 28.06.2025 13:50
There you go.^†
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
Are LGBT people accepted in Japan?
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.
"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?"
[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.
Kuorans, what is your January Spotify wrapped?
(Mumbles of assent)
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
Why wait any longer for the one you love?
'Buy now, pay later:' a replacement for the millennial lifestyle subsidy? - NPR
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*
Summer rentals in the Hamptons are down 30% - CNBC
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:
Whatever.
How do we greet in German, French, Spanish, and Italian?
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
^† They rationalise their decision thusly:
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
Why do people with straight hair think curly hair is so easy to take care of?
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
When he's standing, in front of you
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
Lisa Rinna and Donna Kelce to Have a Mother-Off on the Traitors Season 4 - Vulture
[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."
You can have your cake and eat it too
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
Replace Your Gmail Password Now, Google Tells 2 Billion Users - Forbes