Five DECADES of analysis into synthetic neural networks have earned Geoffrey Hinton the moniker of the Godfather of artificial intelligence (AI). Work by his group on the College of Toronto laid the foundations for as we speak’s headline-grabbing AI models, together with ChatGPT and LaMDA. These can write coherent (if uninspiring) prose, diagnose sicknesses from medical scans and navigate self-driving vehicles. However for Dr Hinton, creating higher fashions was by no means the top purpose. His hope was that by growing synthetic neural networks that would study to unravel complicated issues, mild could be shed on how the mind’s neural networks do the identical.