— Famous people & IQ

Geoffrey Hinton IQ: 155 (estimated)

Estimated IQ

155

Field

Researcher

Source basis

Deep learning

Rarity

top ~0.13%

Important note: Geoffrey Hinton's IQ figure of 155 is an estimate. Most published celebrity IQ figures circulate without clinical sourcing. Treat the number as a defensible estimate, not a verified measurement.

Where the 155 estimate comes from

The number is a widely-circulated estimate based on Geoffrey Hinton's documented work, peer assessments, and historical accounts. Like most famous-person IQs, it should be read as a defensible upper-end estimate rather than a measured score.

What the score implies — and what it doesn't

An IQ of 155 is in the Profoundly Gifted range — top 0.13% or so. Capable of mastering arbitrary abstract subjects with comparatively little instruction.

Geoffrey Hinton's achievements in Researcher reflect more than raw IQ. The pattern across high-achieving figures is that cognitive ability gets you into the game; the variables that determine outcomes from there are conscientiousness, sustained focus, time-on-task, mentorship, environment, and a tolerance for the social isolation that often accompanies deep specialized work.

Comparison with peers in Researcher

Person	Est. IQ	Note
Demis Hassabis	165	DeepMind founder, chess prodigy
Yann LeCun	155	Convolutional networks
Yoshua Bengio	155	Deep learning
Andrew Ng	145	Stanford AI
Fei-Fei Li	145	Computer vision, ImageNet
Geoffrey Hinton	155	Deep learning

How does your IQ compare to Geoffrey Hinton?

Take a 20-minute calibrated test against the same standard distribution — see your six-axis cognitive profile.

The limits of celebrity IQ estimates

Historiometric estimates like Cox's are biographical inference, not measurement. Catharine Cox herself rated the reliability as "I" through "IV"; many figures are rated "III" or "IV" — weakest evidence.
Childhood ratio-IQs (mental age / chronological age × 100) systematically inflate scores compared to modern deviation IQ. A 1900-era child labeled "IQ 200" would likely test 140-160 on a modern WAIS.
Self-reported figures from public figures are essentially never independently verifiable.
Achievement is not pure intelligence. The correlation between extreme achievement and pure IQ peaks around 130-140; above that, conscientiousness and circumstance dominate the variance.

Frequently asked

What is Geoffrey Hinton's IQ?

Geoffrey Hinton's IQ is widely estimated at 155, based on deep learning. This is an estimate, not a clinically measured score.

Did Geoffrey Hinton actually take an IQ test?

Likely not a formal modern IQ assessment. Celebrity IQ figures are usually estimates from secondary sources rather than verified clinical results.

How accurate is the IQ 155 figure?

Treat it as a defensible upper-end estimate within ±10-15 points. Famous-person IQ estimates carry substantial uncertainty and methodological bias.