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Home/Market & Regulation
Market & Regulation

Demis Hassabis Discusses AI's Role in Scientific Discovery

The Verge AI·May 19, 2026·high confidence

Why it matters

  • →AI is positioned as a transformative force in scientific research and drug discovery.
  • →Hassabis's comments reflect a broader philosophical shift in AI's perceived societal role.
  • →The discussion highlights the potential and challenges of achieving artificial general intelligence.
Demis Hassabis Discusses AI's Role in Scientific Discovery
©The Verge AI

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, described the current era as the 'foothills of the singularity' during Google I/O. He introduced Gemini for Science, a set of tools designed to enhance scientific research and potentially revolutionize drug discovery. Hassabis emphasized AI's potential to drive a new age of scientific progress and improve global well-being. Despite his optimism, he maintains a cautious outlook on achieving full artificial general intelligence, predicting a 50% chance by 2030. His remarks underscore AI's growing role in tackling complex global issues.

Read original

The story around this

Earlier coverage that leads up to this article, and what followed. Lines connect each piece to the closest one after it, converging here.

Google Unveils Gemini Deep Research Max — Matt Wolfe1Google DeepMind Unveils Co-Scientist AI Partner — Google DeepMind2Mira Murati's Startup Aims for Human-Centric AI — WIRED AI3Google Introduces Gemini Intelligence for Android — Matt Wolfe4Google DeepMind Launches Gemini for Science — Google DeepMind5Google's AI Strategy at I/O Conference — MIT Technology Review AI6Google I/O 2026: Gemini Era Unveiled — Google AI Blog7Google I/O 2026: AI Agents and Gemini Updates — WIRED AI8Demis Hassabis Discusses AI's Role in Scientific DiscoveryDemis Hassabis Calls for US-Led Global AI Watchdog — The Verge AI9Demis Hassabis Proposes AI Oversight Body — The Rundown AI10Google Reshuffles AI Leadership, Hassabis Takes New Role — The Verge AI11Google Reshuffles AI Leadership Amid Market Pressure — The Rundown AI12Demis Hassabis Steps Down as Google DeepMind CEO — AI Explained13Apr 24You are hereAug 6

How we got here

  1. 1
    Google Unveils Gemini Deep Research Max

    Matt Wolfe · April 24, 2026 · Related

  2. 2
    Google DeepMind Unveils Co-Scientist AI Partner

    Google DeepMind · May 12, 2026 · Related

  3. 3
    Mira Murati's Startup Aims for Human-Centric AI

    WIRED AI · May 15, 2026 · Background

  4. 4
    Google Introduces Gemini Intelligence for Android

    Matt Wolfe · May 15, 2026 · Background

  5. 5
    Google DeepMind Launches Gemini for Science

    Google DeepMind · May 17, 2026 · Same story

  6. 6
    Google's AI Strategy at I/O Conference

    MIT Technology Review AI · May 18, 2026 · Related

  7. 7
    Google I/O 2026: Gemini Era Unveiled

    Google AI Blog · May 19, 2026 · Background

  8. 8
    Google I/O 2026: AI Agents and Gemini Updates

    WIRED AI · May 19, 2026 · Background

What happened next

  1. 9
    Demis Hassabis Calls for US-Led Global AI Watchdog

    The Verge AI · July 14, 2026 · Same story

  2. 10
    Demis Hassabis Proposes AI Oversight Body

    The Rundown AI · July 15, 2026 · Same story

  3. 11
    Google Reshuffles AI Leadership, Hassabis Takes New Role

    The Verge AI · August 5, 2026 · Same story

  4. 12
    Google Reshuffles AI Leadership Amid Market Pressure

    The Rundown AI · August 6, 2026 · Related

  5. 13
    Demis Hassabis Steps Down as Google DeepMind CEO

    AI Explained · August 6, 2026 · Related

Follow this story

Open the full story →

Demis Hassabis Criticizes AI-Driven Job Cuts

4 developments

  1. May 19 · WIRED AI
    Demis Hassabis Criticizes AI-Driven Job Cuts
  2. May 19 · The Verge AI
    Demis Hassabis Discusses AI's Role in Scientific Discovery (This article)↳ Hassabis introduces Gemini for Science to revolutionize drug discovery and scientific research.
  3. May 22 · MIT Technology Review AI
    Google I/O Highlights Shift in AI-Driven Science↳ Google I/O highlights shift toward agentic systems and Gemini for Science package for autonomous research.
  4. May 27 · The Rundown AI
    Demis Hassabis on AGI and AI in Medicine

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