Demis Hassabis on AI, game theory, multimodality, and the nature of creativity

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Apr 9, 2025

Demis Hassabis, Co-founder and CEO of DeepMind, dives into AI's potential to navigate the complexities of systems like Go and protein folding. He explores innovative approaches to AI development, comparing brute force to self-learning methods. The discussion highlights the impact of gaming on creativity and decision-making and the role of embodied intelligence in AI evolution. Hassabis also anticipates a future where AI revolutionizes programming and medicine, emphasizing the need for diverse contributions to shape its societal impact.

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ANECDOTE

Chess Prodigy to AI Enthusiast

Demis Hassabis's childhood revolved around chess, aiming to become a professional player.
At 11, he questioned dedicating his life to chess and became fascinated by chess computers.

INSIGHT

Brute Force vs. Learning

Early chess programs like Deep Blue relied on brute force and expert-programmed rules, lacking true intelligence.
Demis Hassabis found Kasparov's mind more impressive, highlighting the missing learning ability in Deep Blue.

INSIGHT

DeepMind's Learning Approach

DeepMind bet on learning systems combining deep learning and reinforcement learning.
This approach was inspired by the human brain's neural networks and reward system.

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