!["I think [AI is] going to be like the industrial revolution, but maybe 10 times bigger, 10 times faster. So it’s an incredible amount of transformation, but also disruption that’s going to happen." - Demis Hassabis - DeepMind co-founder, CEO](https://i0.wp.com/globaladvisors.biz/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260116_13h00_GlobalAdvisors_Marketing_Quote_DemisHassabis_GAQ.png?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1 "20260116_13h00_GlobalAdvisors_Marketing_Quote_DemisHassabis_GAQ")
“I think [AI is] going to be like the industrial revolution, but maybe 10 times bigger, 10 times faster. So it’s an incredible amount of transformation, but also disruption that’s going to happen.” – Demis Hassabis – DeepMind co-founder, CEO
Demis Hassabis and the Quote
This striking prediction comes from Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind. Spoken on The Tech Download (CNBC Original podcast) on 16 January 2026, the quote encapsulates Hassabis’s view of artificial intelligence (AI) as a force dwarfing historical upheavals. He describes AI not merely as an evolution but as a catalyst for radical abundance, potentially leading to prosperity if managed equitably, while acknowledging inevitable job disruptions akin to – yet far exceeding – those of past revolutions.1,2
Backstory of Demis Hassabis
Born in 1976 in London to a Greek Cypriot father and Chinese Singaporean mother, Hassabis displayed prodigious talent early. At age 13, he won a British Tetris championship and published his first computer program in a magazine. By 17, he was the world’s second-highest-ranked chess player for his age group, balancing academics with competitive gaming.1
Hassabis entered the games industry as a teenager, co-designing the 1994 hit Theme Park at Bullfrog Productions and working with Peter Molyneux at Lionhead Studios on titles like Black & White. This foundation in complex simulations honed his skills in modelling human-like behaviours, which later informed his AI pursuits.1
In 2010, aged 34, he co-founded DeepMind with Mustafa Suleyman and Shane Legg, driven by a mission to ‘solve intelligence’ and advance science. Google acquired DeepMind for $400 million in 2014, propelling breakthroughs like AlphaGo (2016), which defeated world Go champion Lee Sedol, and AlphaFold (2020), revolutionising protein structure prediction.1,2
Today, as CEO of Google DeepMind, Hassabis leads efforts towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) – AI matching or surpassing human cognition across domains. He predicts AGI by 2030, describing himself as a ‘cautious optimist’ who believes humanity’s adaptability will navigate the changes.1,3,5
Context of the Quote
Hassabis’s statement reflects ongoing discussions on AI’s societal impact. He envisions AGI ushering in changes ’10 times bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and maybe 10 times faster,’ with productivity gains enabling ‘radical abundance’ – an era where scarcity ends, fostering interstellar exploration if wealth is distributed fairly.1,2
Yet, he concedes risks: job losses mirror the Industrial Revolution’s upheavals, which brought prosperity unevenly. Hassabis urges preparation, recommending STEM studies and experimentation with AI tools to create ‘very valuable jobs’ for the technically savvy. He stresses political solutions for equitable distribution, warning against zero-sum outcomes.1,3,5
Leading Theorists on AI and Transformative Technologies
Hassabis builds on foundational thinkers in AI and technological disruption:
- Alan Turing (1912-1954): ‘Father of computer science,’ proposed the Turing Test (1950) for machine intelligence, laying theoretical groundwork for AGI.2
- John McCarthy (1927-2011): Coined ‘artificial intelligence’ in 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference, pioneering AI as a field.2
- Ray Kurzweil: Futurist predicting the ‘singularity’ – AI surpassing human intelligence by 2045 – influencing DeepMind’s ambitious timelines.1
- Nick Bostrom: Philosopher warning of superintelligence risks in Superintelligence (2014), echoed in Hassabis’s cautious optimism.1
- Shane Legg: DeepMind co-founder and chief AGI scientist, formalised AGI mathematically, emphasising safe development.2
These theorists frame AI as humanity’s greatest challenge and opportunity, aligning with Hassabis’s vision of exponential transformation.1,2
References
2. https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-demis-hassabis/
3. https://www.businessinsider.com/demis-hassabis-google-deemind-study-future-jobs-ai-2025-6
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_vXXgXwoh0
