The history of computers competing against humans is long, and often attracts enormous attention. But what is it good for? What does it matter if a computer can win in chess, Go, or Starcraft? We got the answer when AlphaFold solved a 50-year old grand challenge in biology.

John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton win Nobel Prize in Physics 2024

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton for their “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

Over the past 10 years, machine learning and AI have been making a greater and greater impact on our lives. During this time, researchers have published breakthrough results one after another, from enabling computers to recognise images, sometimes better than humans, to modern large language models transforming how we work and interact with computers. Over these 10 years, virtually every field of human activity, from healthcare and medical research to education, engineering, business, and entertainment, has in one way or another been transformed by machine learning and AI.

The 2024 Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry have given us a glimpse of the future of science. Artificial intelligence (AI) was central to the discoveries honoured by both awards. You have to wonder what Alfred Nobel, who founded the prizes, would think of it all.

We are certain to see many more Nobel medals handed to researchers who made use of AI tools. As this happens, we may find the scientific methods honoured by the Nobel committee depart from straightforward categories like “physics”, “chemistry” and “physiology or medicine”.

We may also see the scientific backgrounds of recipients retain a looser connection with these categories. This year’s physics prize was awarded to the American John Hopfield, at Princeton University, and British-born Geoffrey Hinton, from the University of Toronto. While Hopfield is a physicist, Hinton studied experimental psychology before gravitating to AI.

The developers of computational tools that can be used to accurately design and predict protein structures have been recognised with this year’s Nobel prize in chemistry. The Nobel committee noted that these tools have led to a revolution in biological chemistry and are today used by millions of researchers around the world.

Demis Hassabis and John Jumper from Google’s DeepMind team received one half of the prize for their work on AlphaFold and AlphaFold2 – programs that dramatically increased the accuracy of protein structure predictions. In 2021, the team released 350,000 structures including those of all 20,000 proteins in the human proteome. In 2022 they provided the structures of a further 200 million proteins – almost every protein known to science.

Why Is Trump So Increasingly Dark?, USA Today
Trump intensified his rhetoric in the final weeks of the campaign, using darker language about crime and threats to the U.S., as he targets swing voters and escalates personal attacks.

Obama’s Blunt Pitch to Black Men, NPR
During a Pittsburgh campaign event Thursday, former President Obama urged Black men to back VP Harris, stressing the need for turnout and criticizing those considering voting for Trump.

Harris Avoids Biden’s Accomplishments, Politico
Kamala Harris is focusing on quick cost-cutting measures in her campaign, avoiding President Biden’s long-term economic policies due to voter demand for immediate solutions.

Grocery Prices Drop, Anger Lingers, MarketWatch
Grocery prices returned to pre-pandemic affordability for the average worker, but lingering high costs and political focus keep them a hot-button issue in the 2024 election.

Harris Winning Battle of the Burbs, Reuters
Harris leads Trump 47% to 41% among suburban voters and 45% to 43% among middle-income households as her focus on middle-class issues narrows the economic gap.

Storms’ Impact Concerns Carville, The Hill
Carville warns Harris is running out of time to reach voters amid hurricane coverage, urging a more aggressive strategy and the involvement of Obama and Clinton to counter Trump claims.

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The Morning: A radical proposal for Donald Trump
Just….disappear.

If he disappeared from the campaign trail, there would be less coverage of his personality. It would allow some of these undecided voters to remember that they actually liked (and like) Trump’s policies on immigration and the economy more than they like Harris’. The race would become less about him and his noxious personality and more about what he would do in office.