Scientist and DeepMind’s CEO Demis Hassabis says learning how to learn is key to the AI future
Hassabis stressed that workers will need to update their knowledge continuously throughout their careers instead of relying on traditional training alone.
The Nobel laureate, Demis Hassabis, has argued that the most crucial ability for the next generation will be learning how to learn.
Speaking at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece, he said adaptability was vital as AI reshapes work and education.
The neuroscientist and former chess prodigy predicted that AGI machines with human-level versatility could emerge within a decade. He described it as a development that may create a future of radical abundance, although he warned of risks.
Hassabis urged a stronger focus on ‘meta-skills’ such as optimising approaches to new subjects, instead of relying solely on traditional disciplines.
Given the speed of technological change, he emphasised that people will need to update their knowledge continuously throughout their careers.
His remarks came during a discussion with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who warned that the unchecked growth of technology giants could fuel economic inequality and social unrest if citizens do not see clear benefits from AI adoption.
Hassabis’s work on protein folding won him the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
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