DeepMind

Today I’m talking with Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI. This is a real burner of an episode. We covered everything from his approach to training new models to his criticisms of Anthropic talking about Claude as though it is conscious.  Of course, we also talked about Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI, how Mustafa is thinking about all the negative polling and political pushback around AI right now, and whether any of the consumer products are good enough to overcome it. Like I said, it’s a burner. Read the full interview transcript on The Verge. Links:  Microsoft and OpenAI broke up — now they’re ready to fight | The Verge Microsoft Build 2026: The 7 biggest announcements | The Verge Microsoft’s first advanced reasoning AI is here | The Verge Microsoft’s new ‘superintelligence’ game plan is all about business | The Verge Here’s how the new Microsoft and OpenAI deal breaks down | The Verge Microsoft AI chief says 18 months until white-collar tasks automated by AI | FT Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind and 2024 Nobel laureate in chemistry for AlphaFold, joins Sequoia partner Konstantine Buhler at AI Ascent 2026 for a wide-ranging conversation about the path to AGI and what comes after. He explains why he believes AGI is achievable by 2030, why drug discovery could collapse from ten years to days, and why we should think of information, not matter or energy, as the most fundamental substance in the universe. Also: what Einstein would tell us about the limits of today's models, and why the next year or two will be critical for humanity.

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Demis Hassabis is the Co-Founder & CEO of Google DeepMind - working on AGI, responsible for AI breakthroughs such as AlphaGo, the first program to beat the world champion at the game of Go; and AlphaFold, which cracked the 50-year grand challenge of protein structure prediction and was recognised with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Demis is revolutionising drug discovery at Isomorphic Labs. Ultimately, trying to understand the fundamental nature of reality. AGENDA: 00:04:00 — What Actually Counts as AGI; and Where Are We Today? 00:05:00 — What Are the Biggest Bottlenecks Holding AI Back Today? 00:06:00 — Have We Hit the Limits of Scaling Laws? 00:07:00 — Where Is AI Ahead of Expectations; and What's Still Missing? 00:07:30 — Why Can't AI Systems Learn Continuously Like Humans? 00:08:30 — How Did DeepMind Go from Behind to Leading the Pack? 00:11:00 — Are We Heading Toward Model Commoditization; or Winner-Takes-All? 00:12:00 — What Does the Future of Open Source Really Look Like? 00:13:00 — What Does a Post LLM World Look Like? 00:14:45 — Can AI Really Fix Drug Discovery—and Cut the 10-Year Timeline? 00:17:00 — What Does "Good" AI Regulation Actually Look Like? 00:18:00 — Who Should Be the Ultimate Arbiter of Truth in an AI World? 00:19:30 — If Demis Had One Shot to Fix AI Safety, What Would He Do? 00:21:00 — Is This Time Different for Jobs; or Will History Repeat Itself? 00:22:00 — Is AGI Bigger Than the Industrial Revolution; and Faster? 00:23:00 — Are We Underestimating AI Despite All the Hype? 00:23:30 — Does AI Lead to Massive Inequality; or Universal Prosperity? 00:24:30 — How Do We Solve the Energy Crisis Created by AI? 00:26:00 — Why Stay in the UK Instead of Moving to Silicon Valley? 00:28:00 — Will Europe Ever Build a Trillion-Dollar Tech Giant? 00:29:30 — Meeting Elon Musk for the First Time? 00:31:00 — What Big Questions About AI Is No One Talking About? 00:31:30 — What Does Demis Want His Legacy to Be?

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind. Hassabis joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss where AI progress really stands today, where the next breakthroughs might come from, and whether we’ve hit AGI already. Tune in for a deep discussion covering the latest in AI research, from continual learning to world models. We also dig into product, discussing Google’s big bet on AI glasses, its advertising plans, and AI coding. We also cover what AI means for knowledge work and scientific discovery. Hit play for a wide-ranging, high-signal conversation about where AI is headed next from one of the leaders driving it forward.  --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind. He joined Big Technology Podcast in early 2025 discuss the cutting edge of AI and where the research is heading. In this conversation, we cover the path to artificial general intelligence, how long it will take to get there, how to build world models, whether AIs can be creative, and how AIs are trying to deceive researchers. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss Google's plan for smart glasses and Hassabis's vision for a virtual cell. Hit play for a fascinating discussion with an AI pioneer that will both break news and leave you deeply informed about the state of AI and its promising future. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com --- Wealthfront.com/bigtech. If eligible for the overall boosted 3.90% rate offered with this promo, your boosted rate is subject to change if the 3.25% base rate decreases during the 3-month promo period. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 12/19/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable base APY. Instant withdrawals are subject to certain conditions and processing times may vary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

We often think of Large Language Models (LLMs) as all-knowing, but as the team reveals, they still struggle with the logic of a second-grader. Why can’t ChatGPT reliably add large numbers? Why does it "hallucinate" the laws of physics? The answer lies in the architecture. This episode explores how *Category Theory* —an ultra-abstract branch of mathematics—could provide the "Periodic Table" for neural networks, turning the "alchemy" of modern AI into a rigorous science. In this deep-dive exploration, *Andrew Dudzik*, *Petar Velichkovich*, *Taco Cohen*, *Bruno Gavranović*, and *Paul Lessard* join host *Tim Scarfe* to discuss the fundamental limitations of today’s AI and the radical mathematical framework that might fix them. TRANSCRIPT: https://app.rescript.info/public/share/LMreunA-BUpgP-2AkuEvxA7BAFuA-VJNAp2Ut4MkMWk --- Key Insights in This Episode: * *The "Addition" Problem:* *Andrew Dudzik* explains why LLMs don't actually "know" math—they just recognize patterns. When you change a single digit in a long string of numbers, the pattern breaks because the model lacks the internal "machinery" to perform a simple carry operation. * *Beyond Alchemy:* deep learning is currently in its "alchemy" phase—we have powerful results, but we lack a unifying theory. Category Theory is proposed as the framework to move AI from trial-and-error to principled engineering. [00:13:49] * *Algebra with Colors:* To make Category Theory accessible, the guests use brilliant analogies—like thinking of matrices as *magnets with colors* that only snap together when the types match. This "partial compositionality" is the secret to building more complex internal reasoning. [00:09:17] * *Synthetic vs. Analytic Math:* *Paul Lessard* breaks down the philosophical shift needed in AI research: moving from "Analytic" math (what things are made of) to "Synthetic" math [00:23:41] --- Why This Matters for AGI If we want AI to solve the world's hardest scientific problems, it can't just be a "stochastic parrot." It needs to internalize the rules of logic and computation. By imbuing neural networks with categorical priors, researchers are attempting to build a future where AI doesn't just predict the next word—it understands the underlying structure of the universe. --- TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 The Failure of LLM Addition & Physics 00:01:26 Tool Use vs Intrinsic Model Quality 00:03:07 Efficiency Gains via Internalization 00:04:28 Geometric Deep Learning & Equivariance 00:07:05 Limitations of Group Theory 00:09:17 Category Theory: Algebra with Colors 00:11:25 The Systematic Guide of Lego-like Math 00:13:49 The Alchemy Analogy & Unifying Theory 00:15:33 Information Destruction & Reasoning 00:18:00 Pathfinding & Monoids in Computation 00:20:15 System 2 Reasoning & Error Awareness 00:23:31 Analytic vs Synthetic Mathematics 00:25:52 Morphisms & Weight Tying Basics 00:26:48 2-Categories & Weight Sharing Theory 00:28:55 Higher Categories & Emergence 00:31:41 Compositionality & Recursive Folds 00:34:05 Syntax vs Semantics in Network Design 00:36:14 Homomorphisms & Multi-Sorted Syntax 00:39:30 The Carrying Problem & Hopf Fibrations Petar Veličković (GDM) https://petar-v.com/ Paul Lessard https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-roy-lessard/ Bruno Gavranović https://www.brunogavranovic.com/ Andrew Dudzik (GDM) https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-dudzik-222789142/ --- REFERENCES: Model: [00:01:05] Veo https://deepmind.google/models/veo/ [00:01:10] Genie https://deepmind.google/blog/genie-3-a-new-frontier-for-world-models/ Paper: [00:04:30] Geometric Deep Learning Blueprint https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.13478 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIZB1hIJ4u8 [00:16:45] AlphaGeometry https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.08312 [00:16:55] AlphaCode https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.07814 [00:17:05] FunSearch https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06924-6 [00:37:00] Attention Is All You Need https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762 [00:43:00] Categorical Deep Learning https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.15332

Andrew Dudzik

Researcher

Google DeepMind

Petar Veličković

Researcher

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Taco Cohen

Researcher

Qualcomm AI ResearchQualcomm Technologies

Bruno Gavranović

Researcher

University of Strathclyde

Paul Lessard

Researcher

Mila

Google’s much anticipated new large language model Gemini 3 begins rolling out today. We’ll tell you what we learned from an early product briefing and bring you our conversation with Google executives Demis Hassabis and Josh Woodward, just ahead of the launch.   Guests: Demis Hassabis, chief executive and co-founder of Google DeepMind Josh Woodward, vice president of Google Labs and Google Gemini   Additional Reading:  The Man Who ‘A.G.I.-Pilled’ Google   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Josh Woodward

Vice President

GoogleGoogle Labs

Mustafa Suleyman is the CEO of Microsoft AI and the head of the company’s new superintelligence team. Suleyman joins Big Technology to discuss Microsoft’s push toward “humanist superintelligence” and what changes after its latest OpenAI deal. Tune in to hear whether LLMs can get us there, how self-improving systems might work safely, and what power, data, and memory advancements mean for progress. We also cover Microsoft’s strategy shift to AI self-sufficiency, the economics of frontier models (including price pressure and commoditization), world-model and robotics questions, and the rise of personalized AI companions. Hit play for a candid, technical, and forward-looking conversation about where Microsoft—and AI—are headed next. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

(0:00) Introducing Sir Demis Hassabis, reflecting on his Nobel Prize win (2:39) What is Google DeepMind? How does it interact with Google and Alphabet? (4:01) Genie 3 world model (9:21) State of robotics models, form factors, and more (14:42) AI science breakthroughs, measuring AGI (20:49) Nano-Banana and the future of creative tools, democratization of creativity (24:44) Isomorphic Labs, probabilistic vs deterministic, scaling compute, a golden age of science Thanks to our partners for making this happen! Solana - Solana is the high performance network powering internet capital markets, payments, and crypto applications. Connect with investors, crypto founders, and entrepreneurs at Solana's global flagship event during Abu Dhabi Finance Week & F1: solana.com/breakpoint. https://solana.com/ OKX - The new way to build your crypto portfolio and use it in daily life. We call it the new money app. https://www.okx.com/ Google Cloud - The next generation of unicorns is building on Google Cloud's industry-leading, fully integrated AI stack: infrastructure, platform, models, agents, and data. https://cloud.google.com/ IREN - IREN AI Cloud, powered by NVIDIA GPUs, provides the scale, performance, and reliability to accelerate your AI journey. https://iren.com/ Oracle - Step into the future of enterprise productivity at Oracle AI Experience Live. https://www.oracle.com/ Circle - The America-based company behind USDC — a fully-reserved, enterprise-grade stablecoin at the core of the emerging internet financial system. https://www.circle.com/ BVNK - Building stablecoin-powered financial infrastructure that helps businesses send, store, and spend value instantly, anywhere in the world. https://www.bvnk.com/ Polymarket: https://www.polymarket.com/ Athletic Brewing: https://athleticbrewing.com/ Follow Demis: https://x.com/demishassabis Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind and Nobel Prize winner for his groundbreaking work in protein structure prediction using AI. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep475-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/demis-hassabis-2-transcript CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact EPISODE LINKS: Demis’s X: https://x.com/demishassabis DeepMind’s X: https://x.com/GoogleDeepMind DeepMind’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/GoogleDeepMind DeepMind’s Website: https://deepmind.google/ Gemini’s Website: https://gemini.google.com/ Isomorphic Labs: https://isomorphiclabs.com/ The MANIAC (book): https://amzn.to/4lOXJ81 Life Ascending (book): https://amzn.to/3AhUP7z SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Hampton: Community for high-growth founders and CEOs. Go to https://joinhampton.com/lex Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to https://fin.ai/lex Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drink. Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (00:29) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (08:40) – Learnable patterns in nature (12:22) – Computation and P vs NP (21:00) – Veo 3 and understanding reality (25:24) – Video games (37:26) – AlphaEvolve (43:27) – AI research (47:51) – Simulating a biological organism (52:34) – Origin of life (58:49) – Path to AGI (1:09:35) – Scaling laws (1:12:51) – Compute (1:15:38) – Future of energy (1:19:34) – Human nature (1:24:28) – Google and the race to AGI (1:42:27) – Competition and AI talent (1:49:01) – Future of programming (1:55:27) – John von Neumann (2:04:41) – p(doom) (2:09:24) – Humanity (2:12:30) – Consciousness and quantum computation (2:18:40) – David Foster Wallace (2:25:54) – Education and research PODCAST LINKS: – Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast – Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr – Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 – RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ – Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 – Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Pushmeet Kohli leads AI for Science at DeepMind, where his team has created AlphaEvolve, an AI system that discovers entirely new algorithms and proves mathematical results that have eluded researchers for decades. From improving 50-year-old matrix multiplication algorithms to generating interpretable code for complex problems like data center scheduling, AlphaEvolve represents a new paradigm where LLMs coupled with evolutionary search can outperform human experts. Pushmeet explains the technical architecture behind these breakthroughs and shares insights from collaborations with mathematicians like Terence Tao, while discussing how AI is accelerating scientific discovery across domains from chip design to materials science. Hosted by Sonya Huang and Pat Grady, Sequoia Capital

Pushmeet Kohli

VP of Science and Strategic Initiatives

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Much of the scientific process involves searching. But rather than continue to rely on the luck of discovery, Google DeepMind has engineered a more efficient AI agent that mines complex spaces to facilitate scientific breakthroughs. Sarah Guo speaks with Pushmeet Kohli, VP of Science and Strategic Initiatives, and research scientist Matej Balog at Google DeepMind about AlphaEvolve, an autonomous coding agent they developed that finds new algorithms through evolutionary search. Pushmeet and Matej talk about how AlphaEvolve tackles the problem of matrix multiplication efficiency, scaling and iteration in problem solving, and whether or not this means we are at self-improving AI. Together, they also explore the implications AlphaEvolve has to other sciences beyond mathematics and computer science. Sign up for new podcasts every week. Email feedback to show@no-priors.com Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @pushmeet | @matejbalog Chapters: 00:00 Pushmeet Kohli and Matej Balog Introduction 0:48 Origin of AlphaEvolve 02:31 AlphaEvolve’s Progression from AlphaGo and AlphaTensor 08:02 The Open Problem of Matrix Multiplication Efficiency 11:18 How AlphaEvolve Evolves Code 14:43 Scaling and Predicting Iterations 16:52 Implications for Coding Agents 19:42 Overcoming Limits of Automated Evaluators 25:21 Are We At Self-Improving AI? 28:10 Effects on Scientific Discovery and Mathematics 31:50 Role of Human Scientists with AlphaEvolve 38:30 Making AlphaEvolve Broadly Accessible 40:18 Applying AlphaEvolve Within Google 41:39 Conclusion

Pushmeet Kohli

VP of Science and Strategic Initiatives

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Matej Balog

Research Scientist

Google DeepMind

This week, we take a field trip to Google and report back about everything the company announced at its biggest show of the year, Google I/O. Then, we sit down with Google DeepMind’s chief executive and co-founder, Demis Hassabis, to discuss what his A.I. lab is building, the future of education, and what life could look like in 2030. Guest: Demis Hassabis, co-founder and chief executive of Google DeepMind Additional Reading: At Google I/O, everything is changing and normal and scary and chill Google Unveils A.I. Chatbot, Signaling a New Era for Search Google DeepMind C.E.O. Demis Hassabis on the Path From Chatbots to A.G.I. We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind. Sergey Brin is the co-founder of Google. The two leading tech executives join Alex Kantrowitz for a live interview at Google's IO developer conference to discuss the frontiers of AI research. Tune in to hear their perspective on whether scaling is tapped out, how reasoning techniques have performed, what AGI actually means, the potential for an intelligence explosion, and much more. Tune in for a deep look into AI's cutting edge featuring two executives building it. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Sergey Brin

Co-Founder

Google

How can AI help us understand and master deeply complex systems—from the game Go, which has 10 to the power 170 possible positions a player could pursue, or proteins, which, on average, can fold in 10 to the power 300 possible ways? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Demis Hassabis. Demis is a British artificial intelligence researcher, co-founder, and CEO of the AI company, DeepMind. Under his leadership, DeepMind developed Alpha Go, the first AI to defeat a human world champion in Go and later created AlphaFold, which solved the 50-year-old protein folding problem. He's considered one of the most influential figures in AI. Demis, Reid, and Aria discuss game theory, medicine, multimodality, and the nature of innovation and creativity. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Listen to more from Possible here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Mustafa Suleyman is the CEO of Microsoft AI and a co-founder of DeepMind. He joins Big Technology to discuss Microsoft's strategy to build more personalized and emotionally intelligent AI companions. Tune in to hear how Microsoft is differentiating its AI offerings through personality design, memory features, and action capabilities that could transform our digital interactions. We also cover Microsoft's data center plans, its relationship with OpenAI, and predictions about when we might reach AGI. Hit play for a fascinating look at the future of human-AI relationships and what it means for work, technology, and society. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the cutting edge of AI and where the research is heading. In this conversation, we cover the path to artificial general intelligence, how long it will take to get there, how to build world models, whether AIs can be creative, and how AIs are trying to deceive researchers. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss Google's plan for smart glasses and Hassabis's vision for a virtual cell. Hit play for a fascinating discussion with an AI pioneer that will both break news and leave you deeply informed about the state of AI and its promising future. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Today, I’m talking with Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI. Mustafa is a fascinating character in the world of AI — he’s been in and out of some pivotal companies like DeepMind, which he cofounded, and Google. He landed at Microsoft through a unique not-quite-acquisition deal of his latest startup, Inflection AI.  As CEO of Microsoft AI, Mustafa now oversees all of its consumer AI products, including the Copilot app, Bing, and even the Edge browser and MSN — two core components of the web experience that feel like they’re radically changing in a world of AI. The company has also a unique relationship with OpenAI, one that’s grown more complicated of late. That’s a lot of Decoder bait, and we really get into it.  Links:  Google DeepMind co-founder joins Microsoft as CEO of its new AI division | The Verge This is Big Tech’s playbook for swallowing the AI industry | Command Line The new AI deal: buy everything but the company | NYT Sam Altman lowers the bar for AGI | The Verge OpenAI seeks to unlock investment by ditching ‘AGI’ clause with Microsoft | FT ​​Microsoft needs to win back trust | The Verge Microsoft’s AI boss thinks it’s okay to steal content if it’s on the open web | The Verge Read Microsoft’s optimistic memo about the future of AI companions | The Verge ​​Microsoft gives Copilot a voice and vision in its biggest redesign yet | The Verge How Microsoft is thinking about the future of Copilot and AI hardware | The Verge Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/24078862 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

Neel Nanda, a senior research scientist at Google DeepMind, leads their mechanistic interpretability team. In this extensive interview, he discusses his work trying to understand how neural networks function internally. At just 25 years old, Nanda has quickly become a prominent voice in AI research after completing his pure mathematics degree at Cambridge in 2020. Nanda reckons that machine learning is unique because we create neural networks that can perform impressive tasks (like complex reasoning and software engineering) without understanding how they work internally. He compares this to having computer programs that can do things no human programmer knows how to write. His work focuses on "mechanistic interpretability" - attempting to uncover and understand the internal structures and algorithms that emerge within these networks. SPONSOR MESSAGES: *** CentML offers competitive pricing for GenAI model deployment, with flexible options to suit a wide range of models, from small to large-scale deployments. https://centml.ai/pricing/ Tufa AI Labs is a brand new research lab in Zurich started by Benjamin Crouzier focussed on ARC and AGI, they just acquired MindsAI - the current winners of the ARC challenge. Are you interested in working on ARC, or getting involved in their events? Goto https://tufalabs.ai/ *** SHOWNOTES, TRANSCRIPT, ALL REFERENCES (DONT MISS!): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/36dvtfl3v3p56hbi30im7/NeelShow.pdf?rlkey=pq8t7lyv2z60knlifyy17jdtx&st=kiutudhc&dl=0 We riff on: * How neural networks develop meaningful internal representations beyond simple pattern matching * The effectiveness of chain-of-thought prompting and why it improves model performance * The importance of hands-on coding over extensive paper reading for new researchers * His journey from Cambridge to working with Chris Olah at Anthropic and eventually Google DeepMind * The role of mechanistic interpretability in AI safety NEEL NANDA: https://www.neelnanda.io/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GLnX3MkAAAAJ&hl=en https://x.com/NeelNanda5 Interviewer - Tim Scarfe TOC: 1. Part 1: Introduction [00:00:00] 1.1 Introduction and Core Concepts Overview 2. Part 2: Outside Interview [00:06:45] 2.1 Mechanistic Interpretability Foundations 3. Part 3: Main Interview [00:32:52] 3.1 Mechanistic Interpretability 4. Neural Architecture and Circuits [01:00:31] 4.1 Biological Evolution Parallels [01:04:03] 4.2 Universal Circuit Patterns and Induction Heads [01:11:07] 4.3 Entity Detection and Knowledge Boundaries [01:14:26] 4.4 Mechanistic Interpretability and Activation Patching 5. Model Behavior Analysis [01:30:00] 5.1 Golden Gate Claude Experiment and Feature Amplification [01:33:27] 5.2 Model Personas and RLHF Behavior Modification [01:36:28] 5.3 Steering Vectors and Linear Representations [01:40:00] 5.4 Hallucinations and Model Uncertainty 6. Sparse Autoencoder Architecture [01:44:54] 6.1 Architecture and Mathematical Foundations [02:22:03] 6.2 Core Challenges and Solutions [02:32:04] 6.3 Advanced Activation Functions and Top-k Implementations [02:34:41] 6.4 Research Applications in Transformer Circuit Analysis 7. Feature Learning and Scaling [02:48:02] 7.1 Autoencoder Feature Learning and Width Parameters [03:02:46] 7.2 Scaling Laws and Training Stability [03:11:00] 7.3 Feature Identification and Bias Correction [03:19:52] 7.4 Training Dynamics Analysis Methods 8. Engineering Implementation [03:23:48] 8.1 Scale and Infrastructure Requirements [03:25:20] 8.2 Computational Requirements and Storage [03:35:22] 8.3 Chain-of-Thought Reasoning Implementation [03:37:15] 8.4 Latent Structure Inference in Language Models

Neel Nanda

Senior Research Scientist

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Artificial intelligence is a “new digital species,” says Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft AI’s CEO. For this episode, Mustafa joined Reid Hoffman on stage at the October 2024 Masters of Scale Summit. They discuss the risks and rewards of AI, and Mustafa explains why AI will change our experience of memory. Plus, why he thinks now is a great time to found and scale companies. Synthetic voiceover of Reid Hoffman used in this episode was produced by Respeecher with full consent and permission. Read Mustafa’s book: The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

Will AI “agents” soon be personalized teachers, doctors, companions and even check items off your to-do list on their own? “Agentic” is the latest buzzword in AI and Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman says moving beyond the text chatbot to a "smart friend” is the goal. The former co-founder of DeepMind, Suleyman helped grow Google’s AI division before launching another start-up, InflectionAI. Earlier this year, Microsoft paid $650 million for the licensing rights to Inflection, and brought Suleyman and most of his staff on board. Kara spoke to him at this year's Lesbians Who Tech conference about his strategy for integrating Copilot into Microsoft’s existing product suite; why he views OpenAI more like a sibling than a competitor; and why renewable energies (and a lot of cash) will be vital in meeting AI’s massive energy needs. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram @karaswisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

This week, with hundreds of thousands of people joining online political rallies for Kamala Harris, we discuss whether 2024 is suddenly becoming the Zoom election, and what that means for both parties’ political organizing. Then, Pushmeet Kohli, a computer scientist at Google DeepMind, joins us for a conversation about how his team’s new A.I. models just hit a silver medal score on the International Mathematical Olympiad exam. And finally, it’s time for a new round of HatGPT! This time, it’s a special Olympics tech edition.   Guest: Pushmeet Kohli, vice president of research at Google DeepMind   Additional Reading: Liberal “White Dudes” Rally for Harris: “It’s Like a Rainbow of Beige” Move Over, Mathematicians, Here Comes AlphaProof Now Narrating the Olympics: A.I.-Al Michaels   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTubeand TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pushmeet Kohli

VP of Science and Strategic Initiatives

Google DeepMindDeepMind

In this episode of No Priors, hosts Sarah and Elad are joined by Oriol Vinyals, VP of Research, Deep Learning Team Lead, at Google DeepMind and Technical Co-lead of the Gemini project. Oriol shares insights from his career in machine learning, including leading the AlphaStar team and building competitive StarCraft agents. We talk about Google DeepMind, forming the Gemini project, and integrating AI technology throughout Google products. Oriol also discusses the advancements and challenges in long context LLMs, reasoning capabilities of models, and the future direction of AI research and applications. The episode concludes with a reflection on AGI timelines, the importance of specialized research, and advice for future generations in navigating the evolving landscape of AI. Sign up for new podcasts every week. Email feedback to show@no-priors.com Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @oriolvinyalsml Show Notes:  (00:00) Introduction to Oriol Vinyals (00:55) The Gemini Project and Its Impact (02:04) AI in Google Search and Chat Models (08:29) Infinite Context Length and Its Applications (14:42) Scaling AI and Reward Functions (31:55) The Future of General Models and Specialization (38:14) Reflections on AGI and Personal Insights (43:09) Will the Next Generation Study Computer Science? (45:37) Closing thoughts

Oriol Vinyals

VP of Research, Deep Learning Team Lead

Google DeepMindDeepMind

In recent years, the AI landscape has seen huge advancements, from the release of Dall-E 2 in April 2022 to the emergence of AI music and video models in early 2024. While creative tools often steal the spotlight, AlphaFold 2 marked a groundbreaking AI breakthrough in biology in 2021. Since its release, this pioneering tool for predicting protein structures has been utilized by over 1.7 million scientists worldwide, influencing fields ranging from genomics to computational chemistry. In this episode, DeepMind's VP of Research for Science, Pushmeet Kohli, and a16z General Partner Vijay Pande discuss the transformative potential of AI in scientific exploration. Can AI lead to fundamentally new discoveries in science? Let's find out.   Resources:  Find Pushmeet on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushmeet Find Vijay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vijaypande Learn more about Google DeepMind: https://deepmind.google Read DeepMind’s AlphaFold whitepaper: https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/a-glimpse-of-the-next-generation-of-alphafold Read DeepMind’s AlphaGeometry: https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/alphageometry-an-olympiad-level-ai-system-for-geometry Read DeepMind’s research on new materials: https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/millions-of-new-materials-discovered-with-deep-learning/ Read DeepMind’s paper on FunSearch, focused on new discoveries in mathematics: https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/funsearch-making-new-discoveries-in-mathematical-sciences-using-large-language-models   Stay Updated:  Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pushmeet Kohli

VP of Science and Strategic Initiatives

Google DeepMindDeepMind

Can AI help us answer life's biggest questions? In this visionary conversation, Google DeepMind cofounder and CEO Demis Hassabis delves into the history and incredible capabilities of AI with head of TED Chris Anderson. Hassabis explains how AI models like AlphaFold — which accurately predicted the shapes of all 200 million proteins known to science in under a year — have already accelerated scientific discovery in ways that will benefit humanity. Next up? Hassabis says AI has the potential to unlock the greatest mysteries surrounding our minds, bodies and the universe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

When it comes to artificial intelligence, what are we actually creating? Even those closest to its development are struggling to describe exactly where things are headed, says Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, one of the primary architects of the AI models many of us use today. He offers an honest and compelling new vision for the future of AI, proposing an unignorable metaphor — a new digital species — to focus attention on this extraordinary moment. (Followed by a Q&A with head of TED Chris Anderson) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

Here is my episode with Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind We discuss: * Why scaling is an artform * Adding search, planning, & AlphaZero type training atop LLMs * Making sure rogue nations can't steal weights * The right way to align superhuman AIs and do an intelligence explosion Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Read the full transcript here. Timestamps (0:00:00) - Nature of intelligence (0:05:56) - RL atop LLMs (0:16:31) - Scaling and alignment (0:24:13) - Timelines and intelligence explosion (0:28:42) - Gemini training (0:35:30) - Governance of superhuman AIs (0:40:42) - Safety, open source, and security of weights (0:47:00) - Multimodal and further progress (0:54:18) - Inside Google DeepMind Get full access to Dwarkesh Podcast at www.dwarkesh.com/subscribe

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

This week’s episode is a conversation with Demis Hassabis, the head of Google’s artificial intelligence division. We talk about Google’s latest A.I. models, Gemini and Gemma; the existential risks of artificial intelligence; his timelines for artificial general intelligence; and what he thinks the world will look like post-A.G.I. Additional listening and reading:  A.I. Could Solve Some of Humanity’s Hardest Problems. It Already Has. This interview was recorded on Wednesday. Since then, Google has temporarily suspended Gemini’s ability to generate images of humans, following criticism of images the chatbot generated of people of color in Nazi-era uniforms. Google Is Giving Away Some of the A.I. That Powers Chatbots We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Demis Hassabis

CEO

Google DeepMindDeepMind

We’ve made it to our final episode of 2023! Please enjoy as we highlight a few of the blue flame thinkers who joined us on the pod this year.  Episodes in order of guest appearances: Conversation with Mustafa Suleyman — The Proliferation of AI & the Next Wave of Technology The Promises and Perils of Neurotechnology – with Nita Farahany Behind the Scenes of SVB’s Collapse + A Vision for America — with Ro Khanna The State of Play: Markets, Economy, and Ukraine & China’s Growing Power, US Diplomacy, and Ukraine’s Counteroffensive — with Ian Bremmer Conversation with Fareed Zakaria — The Conflict in Israel and the State of Foreign Affairs Capitalism, Private Equity, and the Seven Deadly Sins — with Stephen Dubner The Psychology of Money — with Morgan Housel Conversation with Jennifer B. Wallace — What to Do About Toxic Achievement Culture How to Get Unstuck — with Adam Alter Conversation with Jennifer Cohen — Building Healthy Habits and Staying Confident Understanding AI’s Threats and Opportunities — with Mo Gawdat Masculinity, Media, and How to Citizen – with Baratunde Thurston Conversation with Simon Sinek — Finding Your Why, Feeling Stuck, and Building Strong Leaders Scott closes by thanking YOU for supporting the Prof G Pod in 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

Nita Farahany

Professor of Law and Philosophy

Duke University

Ro Khanna

US Representative

United States House of RepresentativesU.S. House of Representatives

Ian Bremmer

Founder and President

Eurasia GroupGZERO Media

Fareed Zakaria

Journalist and Political Commentator

CNN

In this installment of our series, AI + You, we dissect the ethical concerns that builders and users of AI must keep in focus. As the AI rollout continues at dizzying pace, we all have a part to play in ensuring human wellbeing is the bedrock principle. To guide you, host Reid Hoffman speaks with Stanford HAI’s Fei-Fei Li, Inflection’s Mustafa Suleyman, Adept’s David Luan and more AI pioneers. Rather than be intimidated by these ethical issues, we’ll leave you inspired to play a part in shaping a bright future in which humanity is elevated by AI. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/ Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fei-Fei Li

Co-Founder and CEO

World LabsStanford UniversityStanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial IntelligenceStanford Human-Centered AI InstituteStanford University HAI

Mustafa Suleyman

Co-founder & CEO

Inflection AIDeepMindMicrosoftMicrosoft AI

David Luan

Co-founder & CEO, Adept

AdeptAmazonAdept AI