Terrence Sejnowski wins inaugural World Digital Technology Academy Award

Source Domain: www.salk.edu

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Award Announcement: On April 21, 2026, Terrence Sejnowski was awarded the inaugural Scientific Breakthrough Award by the World Digital Technology Academy (WDTA)’s inaugural World Digital and Frontier Technologies (WDFT) Awards.
Shared Recognition: Sejnowski will share the award with Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton for their foundational work in the development of the Boltzmann Machine.
Foundational Contributions: Their pioneering research bridged biological intelligence and computational models, and the Boltzmann Machine provided the groundwork for modern AI tools including deep learning and generative AI.
Launch of Awards: The WDFT Awards were launched in 2025 at the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Doha to celebrate innovative contributions in digital technologies.
Academic Significance: Sejnowski is recognized for his extensive contributions in various fields including neuroeconomics, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, psychology, computational neuroscience, and artificial intelligence.
Notable Achievements: Sejnowski’s accomplishments also include NETtalk, an early computer program that learned to convert written text into speech, laying the groundwork for today’s advanced AI.