Google’s top AI scientist says what he thinks will be the next generation’s most needed skill

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A leading Google scientist and recent Nobel laureate has highlighted “learning how to learn” as the paramount skill for future generations, given the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence.

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google’s DeepMind, delivered this insight from an ancient Roman theatre in Athens, emphasising that rapid technological advancements necessitate a fresh approach to education and skill acquisition. He stated that this adaptability is crucial to keep pace with AI’s reshaping of both the workplace and educational landscape.

“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.”

The neuroscientist and former chess prodigy said artificial general intelligence — a futuristic vision of machines that are as broadly smart as humans or at least can do many things as well as people can — could arrive within a decade. This, he said, will bring dramatic advances and a possible future of “radical abundance” despite acknowledged risks.

Hassabis emphasized the need for “meta-skills,” such as understanding how to learn and optimizing one’s approach to new subjects, alongside traditional disciplines like math, science and humanities.

“One thing we’ll know for sure is you’re going to have to continually learn … throughout your career,” he said.

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Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google’s artificial intelligence research company DeepMind, bottom right, and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, bottom center, discuss the future of AI, ethics and democracy during an event at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, under Acropolis ancient hill, in Athens, Greece, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The DeepMind co-founder, who established the London-based research lab in 2010 before Google acquired it four years later, shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing AI systems that accurately predict protein folding — a breakthrough for medicine and drug discovery.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis joined Hassabis at the Athens event after discussing ways to expand AI use in government services. Mitsotakis warned that the continued growth of huge tech companies could create great global financial inequality.

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Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, and Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google’s artificial intelligence research company DeepMind, right, discuss the future of AI, ethics and democracy as the moderator Linda Rottenberg, Co-founder & CEO of Endeavor looks on during an event at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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

Mitsotakis thanked Hassabis, whose father is Greek Cypriot, for rescheduling the presentation to avoid conflicting with the European basketball championship semifinal between Greece and Turkey. Greece later lost the game 94-68.

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