Lex Fridman Podcast #299 Demis Hassabis
Demis is the founder and executive of DeepMind, one of the most incredible gatherings of minds in recent history, focused on research and development in the field of artificial intelligence. It is very reminiscent of Bell Labs which created fundamental technologies such as C, Unix, transistors, solar panels, etc, or possibly DARPA which created GPS, the internet, etc. For now, the potential of DeepMind is that it joins the ranks of these incredible shops with a contribution of generalized AI tools that influence sectors across society and the economy, but it remains to be seen if DeepMind realizes this opportunity. That potential is as lofty as the realization of superintelligence that propels us into the kind of society seen in Ian M Banks’s novels, a post-scarcity world. Superintelligence is wholly alien to us, so there’s no knowing what it would really be like, but the hope is that the superintelligent agent would solve problems like stopping aging, engineer climate solutions, and have insights into human psychology and society (after all, we humans have hardly had any positive innovations in government and economics in thousands of years - democracy has been a well known option for at least 2,500 years).
Demis himself lives what I would consider an aspirational life. He spends his time on important work (a realistic path to AGI) and has tailored his daily routine to his preferred lifestyle (meetings during the day followed by an evening spent with family, friends and recreation, culminating in a night period of deep thinking or research), and indulges his various interests in productive ways. He exuded enthusiasm and a positive perspective on everything, but was very thoughtful in his answers. One comment he made stuck with me - he concluded that the genius of the game of chess was the dissonant balance between the knight and the bishop. I respect chess and its players, so that was a pleasantly surprising comment in and of itself, but I think this answer is the product of the kind of thinking that one should always pursue - what are key elements in any situation or system, what is the eureka concept. That flourish of brilliance is what often gives us joy, both in its creation and its appreciation.
What I found most inspiring personally was his integration of his interests in science, games, philosophy, and computing into an interdisciplinary project. Furthermore, he created (despite frequent doubts) an entrepreneurial research organization. I find myself pulled in different directions as well, such as literature, writing, mathematics, geopolitics, etc, but I view them as in mutual competition with each other and primarily with my primary employment. It seems like there is truth in the aphorism “do what you love” because you will be good at it, motivated to succeed, and will enjoy your time doing it. We however typically face constraints stemming from a need for financial security and also social acceptance - there is a certain boldness needed to take an alternative path.
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