Book Talk Demis Hassabis and the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Sebastian Mallaby
Date:
October 26, 2026
Time:
12:00-1:00 pm
Location:
Harper Center C25
In 2010, before AI could even recognize a cat photo, Demis Hassabis founded the pioneering London-based AI lab DeepMind, later selling to Alphabet and assuming the leadership of Google's AI engine room. In his New York Times bestselling book, The Infinity Machine, Sebastian Mallaby tells the improbable story of this chess prodigy from a modest background who became a key architect of the AI revolution, a Nobel Prize winner, and in many ways the Robert Oppenheimer of our times. As well as exploring Hassabis's conflicting appetites for scientific discovery and societal safety, for personal glory and beneficial impact, Mallaby will address the current debates in AI policy, from the competition with China to the optimal form of regulation to the certainty of a powerful technology and the uncertainty regarding the manner of its deployment.
The talk will be followed by a question and answer period.
The talk is sponsored by the Clark Center for Global Markets and the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence.
Registration is required to attend.
Books will be available for purchase.
Lunch is available on a first come, first served basis.
This event is in person only.
Disclaimer: Students should never miss class to attend optional programming. The Deans’ Office will not support requests for absences due to participation on a trek, event, conference, or trip as excused.