Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Azeem’s Picks: Demis Hassabis on DeepMind’s Journey from Games to Fundamental Science
05 May 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the headlines, but it’s not a new topic here on Exponential View. This week and next, Azeem Azhar shares his favorite conversations with AI pioneers. Their work and insights are more relevant than ever. Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of DeepMind, dreams of using AI to solve fundamental problems in science. In 2020, he joined Azeem to explore his own journey from world champion gamer to neuroscientist to building AI systems that can train themselves to solve real-world engineering challenges and, eventually, make Nobel-prize winning discoveries. In 2023, DeepMind’s parent company Alphabet announced consolidation of its biggest research units, DeepMind and Google Brain, into a new division led by Demis. They also discuss: Why games are the perfect training ground for AI algorithms. How DeepMind combines the dynamism of a startup with the “blue sky” creativity of a lab. Why “deep reinforcement learning” is the basis for artificial intelligence systems. @demishassabis @azeem @exponentialview Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other episodes from Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Transcribed and ready to explore now
The method of invention, AI's new clock speed and why capital markets are confused
05 Dec 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Why the AI productivity gains haven’t arrived - yet
21 Nov 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Where did all the entry-level jobs go? (With Revelio CEO Ben Zweig)
14 Nov 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
The demand for infinite compute
07 Nov 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Inside the US–China decoupling: What’s really at stake (AI, rare earths, Taiwan, trade)
23 Oct 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Inside the collapse of the internet economy (and what comes next)
08 Oct 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View