New Delhi, February 18 Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis struck a note of "cautious optimism" on Wednesday, saying that AI is set to transform science and medicine, but asserted that managing its societal challenges will require international dialogue and cooperation.
Addressing a packed hall at the India AI Impact Summit, Hassabis said that the world is at a "critical juncture," with Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) potentially on the horizon within the next five to eight years, making the event in New Delhi particularly timely as more autonomous and agentic AI systems begin to emerge.
"My message is one of cautious optimism. I believe we are on the verge of an absolutely incredible transformation that will bring incredible benefits in science and medicine, which is what I am passionate about, and I can see revolutionizing the way we deal with human health," he said.
Hassabis noted that many amazing companies, tools, and products are being built on top of AI systems.
"But I would also add a note of caution, which is that I think we will solve these technical issues given enough time and enough brainpower. I believe in human ingenuity, and if the best minds work towards that, I think it will solve the technical risks," he said.
He added that the effort must be undertaken internationally on societal challenges posed by AI, something Hassabis said could ultimately prove more complex than the technical aspects.
"...but we also need to do this internationally, so the societal challenges of that may actually end up being the harder problem than the technical ones," he said.
He noted that the opportunities are extraordinary, especially in advancing science, medicine, drug discovery, material science, and climate action through systems like 'AlphaFold'.
Describing AI as one of the most transformative technologies in human history, he stressed that its impact will be global and across borders, underscoring the need for international dialogue and cooperation.
He said that global AI summits, beginning in the UK and continuing through Paris, Seoul, and now India, play a crucial role in bringing together world leaders and technology experts to ensure that the benefits of AI are widely shared while mitigating its risks.
