Demis Hassabis: AI Will Accelerate Change 100x Faster Than Industrial Revolution

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, recently shared a sobering yet electrifying assessment of the artificial intelligence trajectory. He predicts that the current transition will be “ten times bigger and ten times faster” than the Industrial Revolution—a 100x acceleration of change. According to Hassabis, Google’s renewed competitive position is due to its recent advances in AI, including the Gemini 3 series and Imagen models.

Hassabis attributes this success to strategic organizational alignment and structural advantages, such as Google’s long history in foundational AI research and unique infrastructure. The company’s integrated ecosystem, which includes proprietary Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), data centers, cloud business, and consumer products, sets it apart from competitors. Hassabis emphasizes that leveraging this capability is key to their competitive strength.

Regarding the timeline for true Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Hassabis maintains his long-standing prediction of a 50% chance of reaching the milestone by 2030. He defines AGI as requiring a system that exhibits all the cognitive capabilities of humans, including solving novel, complex problems.

A key focus for DeepMind now is bridging the gap between digital intelligence and physical reality—the realm of robotics. Hassabis believes the industry is on the cusp of a “breakthrough moment in physical intelligence,” driven by multimodal models like Gemini. However, widespread, reliable robotics applications are still 18 to 24 months away from scalable deployment due to algorithmic robustness and hardware limitations.

Hassabis also addressed geopolitical competition, specifically the perceived threat from Chinese companies. He maintained that Chinese companies are primarily focused on catching up rather than innovating beyond their current models.

From a technical standpoint, Hassabis highlighted the flaw of advanced AI systems: “jagged intelligence.” Achieving AGI necessitates solving for consistent reasoning, long-term planning, and scientific creativity. To address these challenges, Hassabis suggested creating an “international CERN equivalent for AI,” where the world’s best minds collaborate on safety and security protocols.

Ultimately, Hassabis emphasized Google’s commitment to a scientific culture of rigorous, thoughtful, and responsible development. He believes this approach is crucial in ensuring that powerful new tools ultimately benefit humanity.

Source: https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/ai-video/2026/hassabis-the-ai-shift-is-100x-faster-than-the-industrial-revolution