Geoffrey E. Hinton, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside John J. Hopfield of Princeton University.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded both Hinton and Hopfield the prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.06 million USD), to be shared equally. Hinton is known as one of the “Godfathers of AI” due to his revolutionary work in artificial neural networks, a foundational technology that underpinned modern artificial intelligence.

Despite the recognition, Hinton has grown increasingly cautious about the future of AI and left his role at Google DeepMind to speak freely about the potential dangers of uncontrolled AI development.

Hinton has further cautioned that the rapid AI progress could lead to unintended and dangerous consequences, such as misinformation, job loss, and existential risks, including human extinction, or “x-risk.”

He is particularly worried that the technology he helped develop may eventually surpass human intelligence in unpredictable ways. Hinton advocates for global regulation, fearing that without it, AI systems could become uncontrollable.

While Hinton’s contributions propelled neural networks into the modern age, Hopfield’s earlier innovations provided a vital foundation for pattern recognition in neural models.