Save the date, Nobel Laureate to deliver prestigious lecture on April 13
Nobel Laureate, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the pioneering researchers who developed the neural networks and machine-learning that spawned artificial intelligence, will deliver this year’s Distinguished Knight Lecture on April 13.
The Knight Lecture is one of UM’s most prestigious lecture programs intended to enrich academic life and discourse by inviting great thinkers and leaders to our campus to challenge our perceptions. It is free and open to all.
Prior to sharing in the 2024 Noble Prize in Physics, Professor Hinton was part of a three-person group that received the Turing Award in 2019, often called “the Nobel Prize of computing,” for its work on neural networks. In 2023, he made headlines around the world when he left his job at Google, warning us that the A.I. technologies he helped create could destroy civilization.
“It's quite conceivable that humanity is just a passing phase in the evolution of intelligence," he said after winning the Turing Award, adding, "I wish I had a nice, simple solution I could push, but I don't. But I think it's very important that people get together and think hard about it.”
What: The 2026 Distinguished Knight Lecture with Professor Geoffrey Hinton followed by a Q&A
When: April 13, 2026, from 2 – 4 p.m. Doors open at 1:30.
Where: The Desautels Concert Hall, Fort Garry campus, 150 Dafoe Rd
Cost: Free to attend. Registration is required and will open next month.
Professor Hinton's lecture will cover many topics, including his perspective on the ethical dilemmas and existential risks posed by the burgeoning technology. After Hinton’s lecture, UM’s Professor David Gerhard, Head of the Department of Computer Science, will host a Q&A with Professor Hinton.
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