According to reports, Geoffrey Hinton, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Turing Award and an academician of the Royal Society known as the "Godfather of AI," publicly posted a message on the X platform calling for Elon Musk to be removed from the Royal Society. This statement quickly attracted widespread attention. Hinton pointed out that the US Department of Government Efficiency led by Musk has systematically reduced scientific research, causing huge damage to US scientific institutions. "I think Elon Musk should be expelled from the Royal Society because he is causing so much damage to the American scientific establishment," he said.
Musk responded, "Only cowards and unconfident fools care about awards and titles, and history is the final judge." He acknowledged that he would inevitably make mistakes, but said he would work hard to correct them.
Previously, Musk was awarded membership of the Royal Society for his outstanding contributions to the fields of commercial aerospace and new energy vehicles.
However, since he took charge of the Department of Government Effectiveness, the NIH's indirect cost coverage rate has dropped to 15%, and research funding in the education sector has shrunk significantly, resulting in the loss of thousands of scientific research jobs. This series of measures triggered strong dissatisfaction in the scientific community.
Currently, more than 1,400 scientists have signed a petition calling on the Royal Society to cancel Musk’s membership. This turmoil not only highlights the contradiction between the scientific community and policymakers.