“Learning how to learn”: Humans’ own inference ability will be key, says Nobel winner

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who recently won the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry, told an Athens audience that “learning how to learn” will be the most crucial skill for the next generation as AI rapidly transforms education and workplaces. Speaking at an ancient Roman theater beneath the Acropolis, the neuroscientist warned that artificial general intelligence could arrive within a decade, making continuous adaptation essential for career survival.

What they’re saying: Hassabis emphasized the unpredictable pace of AI development and its implications for future planning.

• “It’s very hard to predict the future, like 10 years from now, in normal cases. It’s even harder today, given how fast AI is changing, even week by week,” Hassabis told the audience.
• “The only thing you can say for certain is that huge change is coming.”
• “One thing we’ll know for sure is you’re going to have to continually learn … throughout your career,” he said.

The big picture: Hassabis believes artificial general intelligence — machines that match human intelligence across multiple domains — could emerge within the next decade, potentially creating “radical abundance” alongside acknowledged risks.

In plain English: Artificial general intelligence refers to AI systems that can perform any intellectual task that humans can do, rather than being limited to specific functions like today’s AI tools. Think of current AI as highly specialized experts versus future AGI as versatile generalists who could excel across many different fields.

Key skills for the future: The DeepMind co-founder stressed the importance of developing “meta-skills” that transcend traditional academic disciplines.

• Understanding how to learn and optimizing approaches to new subjects will become as important as traditional disciplines like math, science, and humanities.
• Continuous learning throughout one’s career will be mandatory rather than optional.

Political concerns raised: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who joined Hassabis at the event, warned about potential social consequences of AI concentration.

• “Unless people actually see benefits, personal benefits, to this (AI) revolution, they will tend to become very skeptical,” Mitsotakis said.
• “And if they see … obscene wealth being created within very few companies, this is a recipe for significant social unrest.”

About Hassabis: The neuroscientist and former chess prodigy co-founded DeepMind in London in 2010 before Google acquired it four years later.

• He shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing AI systems that accurately predict protein folding, a breakthrough for medicine and drug discovery.
• His father is Greek Cypriot, and he rescheduled the Athens presentation to avoid conflicting with the European basketball championship semifinal between Greece and Turkey.