Predictions for Physics Nobel Prize 2024 (and the results)

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The discussion centers around predictions for the Physics Nobel Prize, highlighting the increasing difficulty in forecasting winners. Participants express hopes for quantum information theorists like Peter Shor and David Deutsch, as well as optics physicists like Federico Capasso. Christoph Gerber is noted for his work on the atomic force microscope. The conversation reflects on the trend of larger research teams and the potential impact of machine learning on physics, with some questioning the appropriateness of awarding the prize to computer scientists. The recent Nobel Prize was awarded to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for their contributions to machine learning, sparking debate about its relevance to physics. Participants also mention various other fields and notable figures in physics, including discussions on the future of particle physics and the significance of AI in scientific advancements. Overall, the thread captures a mix of predictions, reflections on past awards, and the evolving landscape of physics research.
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  • #32
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 to
“for computational protein design”


“for protein structure prediction”

Yes the last two are about the AlphaFold achievements.
 
  • #33
pines-demon said:
Edit: My safe predictions for chemistry is AI for proteins.
I least I got a prediction right, but it was not very difficult after yesterday's announcement.
 
  • #34
Hinton's press conference interview about the award is pretty downbeat.



Quite a bit of discussion about AI risk and safety.
 
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  • #35
EDMM2 said:
Hinton's press conference interview about the award is pretty downbeat.
Here is the equivalent press conference for Hopfield:



He also raises awareness on AI.
Additionally, he tackles the question of where is the physics in artificial networks, I consider that he provides a compelling response.
 
  • #36
Thanks for that.

I think they both recognized that their selection would be somewhat controversial.
 
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  • #37
More words by Hopfield from today. Inspiring:
 
  • #38
As the moderators did not allowed me to close this thread, I will share here the Nobel lectures by Hopfield and Hinton:
 

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