Reporter: Zheng Yuhang, Gao Han Intern reporter: Yue Chupeng, Editor: Wang Jiaqi, Lan Suying
◎ In this year's Nobel Prize, AI has become the big winner. On October 8, local time, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the foundational discoveries and inventions in the field of machine learning. The next day, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to protein design and protein structure prediction, half of which went to two scientists at Google's DeepMind. Does this mean that the Nobel Prize will enter the "AI era"? Will AI one day win the Nobel Prize on its own? The reporter of "Daily Economic News" interviewed Peter Bentley, a professor of computer science at the University of London, and discussed three major focuses.
◎Robotaxi debuted, Tesla evaporated nearly $70 billion, and Uber "lay to win"; United States inflation fell slower than expected in September, with a 25 basis point rate cut in November; The "hurricane of the century" crossed Florida, and the donkey elephant "borrowed the wind" to fight his mouth; The leaders of France, Italy and Spain condemned Israel attack on UNIFIL. Find out more in International Finance for a Week.
Artificial intelligence won two laurels, and the Nobel Prize entered the "AI era"?
In this year's Nobel Prize, AI (Artificial Intelligence) has become the big winner.
On October 8, local time, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the foundational discoveries and inventions in the field of machine learning. The next day, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to protein design and protein structure prediction, half of which went to two scientists at Google's DeepMind.
These two awards bring AI research to the highest honor in the scientific community. For a while, there were many questions about "physics no longer exists" and "is the end of chemistry a computer".
Does this mean that the Nobel Prize will enter the "AI era"? One can't help but wonder if AI will one day win the Nobel Prize on its own. In the case of the gradual loss of scientific research positions, can the Nobel Prize in Literature preserve the last dignity of human beings?
Physics prize "upset": "Outsider" won
The Royal Sweden Academy of Sciences announced on October 8 local time that the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics will be awarded to Geoffrey Hinton, the "godfather of AI", and John Hopfield, a professor at Princeton University, in recognition of their fundamental discoveries and inventions in machine learning using artificial neural networks.
Image source: Nobel Prize Committee X platform account
After the winners were announced, the outside world instantly "exploded": how could an achievement that does not seem to belong to any branch of traditional physics win the award? Does physics not exist? What does the Physics Prize have to do with AI?
Although the Nobel Prize committee members explained that artificial neural networks are trained with physical tools. However, the voices of incomprehension are still wave after wave.
Noah Giansiracusa, a professor of mathematics at Bentley University, said: "His [Hinton's] achievement is amazing, but is this physics? I don't think so. Even when they were inspired by physics, they did not develop new theories of physics or solve long-standing problems in physics. ”
Andrew Lensen, a senior lecturer in AI at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, is also puzzled. "We already have the Turing Prize, and I'd like to see the Nobel Prize awarded to someone who has contributed to the physics community," he said. It feels like the committee may have been drawn to the AI hype. ”
However, some scholars expressed their understanding, saying that this highlights the intersection and interoperability of cutting-edge disciplines, and the paradigm of traditional scientific research is changing.
Charlotte Dean, executive chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation Agency and professor of structural bioinformatics at the University of Oxford, said it was exciting to be able to work in science today, especially in these interdisciplinary areas, because AI is not only starting to solve really difficult problems, but also changing the way we do science.
Twenty-four hours later, AI won another chemistry prize
Twenty-four hours after the Physics Prize was awarded, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced, and AI once again won the favor of the Nobel Prize Committee.
The award was split in two, with one half going to David Baker for his "computer-based protein design" and the other half to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's DeepMind, and John M. Jumper, senior research scientist, for their "contributions to protein structure prediction." In 2020, Hassabis and Jamper released an AI model called AlphaFold 2, a revolutionary tool that uses AI technology to predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins.
Image source: Nobel Prize Committee X platform account
The link between AI and breakthroughs in protein mapping is clear. AlphaFold is often mentioned in the predictions for this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry, so it has not caused as much controversy as the Physics Prize.
But the result is still surprising, because the Nobel Prize is usually awarded to research decades old, after the results have been clearly assessed as "in the best interests of humanity." The award-winning AlphaFold 2 was released four years ago.
This is the most responsive in the history of the Nobel Prize, and it may also herald a shift in the thinking of the Nobel Prize Committee. When asked by reporters in attendance whether the Nobel Prize in Chemistry committee considered the relevance of AI when judging nominees, the committee insisted that the decision was made purely based on science.
Will the Nobel Prize be fully "AI"?
The win-win situation of AI in the Nobel Prize marks the recognition of the important position of AI in scientific research, and also raises people's thinking about the nature of science and the future development direction: will the AI award change the fundamental nature of scientific research? Will the Nobel Prize fully shift to AI in the future? Will AI one day win the Nobel Prize on its own?
Focus 1: Will AI "kill" basic science exploration?
For a long time, the Nobel Prize honored advances in the field of pure science – discoveries based on the laws of nature and physical phenomena. Now, the lines between science and technology are blurring, and AI researchers are being recognized for building tools that impact the way humans approach and solve scientific problems.
Some people believe that the Nobel Prize's award of the medal to AI with such fanfare this year will only make researchers more enthusiastic about the research of tools and ignore the most basic theoretical exploration.
Peter Bentley, a professor of computer science at the University of London, stressed in an interview with the Daily Economic News that AI is more like a part of the problem than a solution to the problem in some things.
Matt Hodgkinson, an expert at the United Kingdom's Office for Research Integrity, said: "Winning a Nobel Prize with AI may be just a ship that sets sail, but it will influence the direction of research. Hodgkinson worries that when researchers try to reverse-engineer why they won this year's award, they will focus more on technology than science.
Julian Togelius, a professor of computer science at New York University, argues: "Scientists often choose the path of least resistance and the most cost-effective. "And that can hinder innovative thinking.
Nobel laureate Hassabistan said: "Nowadays, [AI research] is more engineering-focused, and we have a lot of technology now, and we are just improving the algorithms, not the brain," said Nobel laureate Hassabistan. ”
Image source: Visual China-VCG211158270552
Focus 2: The next field of AI "miracles" in medicine?
Will the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the last traditional science prize of the Nobel Prize, also be "conquered" by AI in the future?
In fact, medical research has always been one of the most important application areas of AI, and many studies rely on AI for analysis and prediction, such as virus identification, molecular modeling, drug development, and other tasks. At present, some teams have made important breakthroughs in exploring scientific problems through AI means.
On October 10, the world's top academic journal "Cell" published the scientific research results of the cooperation between Sun Yat-sen University and Alibaba Cloud, and the research team used cloud computing and AI technology to discover 180 supergroups and more than 160,000 new RNA viruses, nearly 30 times more than known virus species.
Using AI algorithms, the research team found more than 510,000 viral genomes in 10,487 RNA sequencing data from samples from global biological environments, representing more than 160,000 potential virus species and 180 RNA virus supergroups. Twenty-three of these superpopulations could not be identified by sequence homology methods. Through AI technology, this study discovered the "dark matter" of viruses that could not be discovered by traditional research methods, and explored a new path for virology research.
Technology companies led by Deepmind and OpenAI are also accelerating their development of the medical market, and their entry is bound to accelerate the progress of research and development in the medical field.
Earlier this year, DeepMind released AlphaFold 3, a model that successfully predicts the structure and interactions of all known proteins, DNA, RNA, and ligands with unprecedented precision. This leap promises to usher in a new era of AI cell biology.
Focus 3: Is the Literary Prize the "Last Bastion" of the Future of Mankind?
The position of scientific research is gradually "lost", will the Nobel Prize in Literature be the "last bastion" of mankind?
It has been argued that the core of literature lies in human creativity and individual expression, and that although AI is capable of mimicking human language and writing style, it lacks real emotional experience and creative process. Ted Kang, a well-known science fiction writer, published a long article in August this year asserting that AI does not create real art.
Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. Four years after winning the Nobel Prize, he published Klara and the Sun. This novel tells the world through the eyes of a robot Clara, and reflects the problems faced by humans in the age of AI from another side.
Earlier this year, Japan female writer Rie Kudan's novel with ChatGPT assistance won the Wasagawa Award, Japan's top literary award. In her acceptance speech, she said that generative AI has helped her unleash her potential, and she sees AI as a source of inspiration and a companion in her creative process.
From literature about AI to literature about AI, AI has quietly touched the field of literature.
Write at the end
In the future, will AI replace scientists and writers as the protagonists of the Nobel Prize?
As early as 2021, Japan scientists started the Nobel Turing Challenge project, hoping to develop an AI that could independently win the Nobel Prize by 2050.
Robotaxi debuted, Tesla evaporated nearly $70 billion, Uber "lies to win"
Image source: Tesla's official website
On October 11, local time, Tesla's stock price fell 8.78%, and its market value evaporated by nearly $70 billion in one trading day.
On the 10th, Tesla held a "Robotaxi Day" event, and CEO Elon · Musk released the Cybercab, a driverless taxi, and Robovan, a driverless van.
Previously, Musk gave extremely high expectations to the outside world, calling the event "a day that will go down in history." He also called Robotaxi a "revolution in the transportation industry" and said that Tesla's Robotaxi will change the world and make it more convenient, safer and more environmentally friendly. However, Musk's Robotaxi answer was not satisfied, making the market more optimistic about Uber and Lyft. On Friday, Uber and Lyft closed up 10.81% and 9.59% respectively.
Ronald Josey, an analyst at Citi, said, "Tesla's activity gives us more clarity on the company's plans and timing for driverless taxis, which makes us more bullish on Uber's stock." There aren't many specific details about Cybercab's sales and ride-hailing app, which leads us to believe that Tesla may still partner with Uber for sales in the future. ”
United States inflation fell slower than expected in September and a 25 basis point rate cut in November
According to the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on the morning of October 10, Eastern time, the United States CPI rose 2.4% year-on-year in September, lower than the previous value of 2.5%, reaching the lowest level since the beginning of 2021; The month-on-month growth rate was 0.2%, in line with the previous value, but the month-on-month and year-on-year growth rates were both 0.1 percentage points higher than expected.
At the same time, the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 3.3% year-on-year in September, higher than the previous value of 3.2%; The month-on-month increase reached 0.3%, in line with the previous value, but the year-on-year and month-on-month growth rate also exceeded expectations by 0.1 percentage points. Core inflation in the United States has fallen less than expected for two consecutive months.
Olu Sonola, head of United States economic research at Fitch Ratings, said in an email to the Daily Economic News that "this inflation report will make the Fed more cautious about the pace of easing after the non-farm payrolls data for September rose more than expected." The likely policy path remains a 25bp cut in November, but the market should not assume that a December rate cut is a foregone conclusion. ”
According to the CME Fed Watch Tool, as of press time, the market is pricing in a 10.5% probability of no rate cut in November and an 89.5% probability of a 25 basis point rate cut.
Image source: CME Group
The leaders of France, Italy and Spain condemned Israel attack on UNIFIL
According to Xinhua News Agency, France President Emmanuel Macron, Italy Prime Minister Meloni and Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez issued a joint statement on the 11th condemning Israel's recent attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The joint statement released by the France Presidency on the same day said that France, Italy and Spain, as long-term contributors to UNIFIL and partners of Lebanon and Israel, expressed their indignation at the attack on several peacekeepers in Naqoura, Lebanon. These attacks constitute a grave violation of Israel's obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and international humanitarian law. These attacks are unjustifiable and must be stopped immediately.
UNIFIL issued a statement on 10 July, saying that an Israeli tank opened fire on a guard tower at the UNIFIL regional headquarters in Naqoura on the same day, injuring two peacekeepers. In addition, Israeli forces attacked a United Nations peacekeeping bunker in the Labuna area on the southern border with Lebanon, damaging vehicles and communications systems. The Lebanon state news agency reported on the 11th that the Israel army attacked a UNIFIL guard tower between Naqoura and Tyre on the same day, injuring two soldiers of the Sri Lankan battalion. Israel also attacked the main entrance to the UNIFIL command centre in Naqoura on the same day, causing damage to the entrance.
According to CCTV News on October 12, local time on October 11, the Nicaragua government issued a communiqué announcing the severance of diplomatic relations with Israel.
At least 16 people died, 2 million customers lost power, the "Hurricane of the Century" crossed Florida, and the donkey elephant "borrowed the wind" to fight
Image source: Xinhua News Agency Photo by Ryan · Brock
According to foreign media reports, on October 9, local time, Hurricane "Milton" landed on the west coast of Florida and began to sweep eastward, setting off deadly tornadoes, destroying houses, and causing flash floods everywhere it went.
Florida authorities said Oct. 11 that Milton had killed at least 16 people and that more than 2 million people remained without power. As evacuees returned home, people began to assess the damage and carry out post-storm cleanups.
The United States media described "Milton" as "Hurricane of the Century."
Less than a month before the day of voting in the United States presidential election, the two parties have been fighting a "war of words" over the hurricane disaster for several days.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Trump delivered a speech at the Economic Club of Detroit on the 10th, criticizing the federal government's ineffective disaster relief and allowing disaster victims to "suffer unfairly." He also posted a video to Florida voters on social media, saying that if he was elected president, he would provide "never-before-seen" aid to disaster victims.
At a White House press conference on the 10th, Biden condemned "irresponsible, endless disinformation and outright lies continue to fly all over the sky", and called on Trump by name to "do something serious and help these people". Harris said at an event that "now is not the time to play politics."
Foreign capital flowed wildly, and the India rupee fell below a new low of 84 against the dollar
On Friday, October 11, the India rupee fell below 84 against the US dollar for the first time, hitting a record low.
There are two main reasons for the depreciation, one is the large-scale withdrawal of foreign capital into the India stock market and bond market. Foreign investors have sold $5.7 billion in India equities and $125 million in bonds so far in October, according to Bloomberg data.
Second, the market expects that the Bank of India may be about to cut interest rates. On Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) adjusted its policy stance from a hawkish "withdrawal of easing" to "neutral", triggering more bets on interest rate cuts in the country.
The India rupee has continued to depreciate this year, updating its all-time lows, but the range of volatility is limited as the central bank focuses on maintaining monetary stability. Traders are keeping a close eye on the 84 level, and analysts expect the India central bank to step up its intervention once it is breached.
Disclaimer: The content and data in this article are for reference only and do not constitute investment advice. Do so at your own risk.
Reporter: Zheng Yuhang, Gao Han
Intern reporter: Yue Chupeng
Editor-in-Chief: Wang Jiaqi
Editor: Lan Suying
Visual: Liu Qingyan
Typesetting: Gao Han
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