Is this a respected prize? I never heard of it before.
That said, no doubt that explainable ML/AI is important.
That said, no doubt that explainable ML/AI is important.
It's a very new prize (this is only the second winner), so it's still too early to tell. But is backed by a reasonably respectable organization.
Respectability of the prize will arise mostly from the people who receive the prizes, not from the organization itself. Would you like to receive the same prize that got all these other geniuses?
The Nobel is respectable because so many great scientists got it. The composition of the Nobel committee is irrelevant, as long as they keep giving the prize to the best.
If I awarded $1 Million to a random person every year, receiving that award wouldn't make that person more accomplished, and the award wouldn't be mentioned outside the local newspaper. On the other hand an award that gives no money but consistently awards the best researcher in the field can be very noteworthy.
What the $1 million does accomplish is make people pay attention, so everyone will much more quickly reach a verdict whether this is a price worth paying attention to. But two years is a bit quick for that verdict.
Definitely!