Applying AI Research to Enrich Lives Worldwide
I have always found joy in building useful products with the latest technologies. As a child, I would spend hours connecting electronic components to create circuits. From a Morse code circuit to a timer and eventually an amplifier, I loved using analog electronic components to build and create.
My passion for electronics led me to design processing chips at my first job, and I continued studying electronics and software in university. Today, we have pocket-sized computers and massive data centers, connected by lightning-fast communication, serving businesses, communities, and consumers worldwide.
But it is artificial intelligence (AI) that holds the greatest potential for humanity. AI has the ability to learn and solve problems at an incredible speed and scale. When combined with human ingenuity and direction, AI can provide new solutions to our biggest challenges.
AI is not just hype – it is the ultimate general-purpose tool. As the Chief Business Officer of a leading AI company, I witness every day how this technology can improve the lives of billions of people.
Taking Research from the Lab
My main focus as CBO is taking our cutting-edge research breakthroughs and applying them to solve real-world business problems. This is incredibly exciting because we have the opportunity to tackle challenges that impact billions of people around the world.
DeepMind, our organization, specializes in bridging AI research with practical applications to solve problems on a global scale. We have created a vast library of AI solutions and, together with our parent company Alphabet, we can focus on the most difficult technical challenges that have the greatest impact.
For example, we have extended the battery life of Android phones used by over a billion people. This improvement is crucial, especially in times of need and as we strive for a cleaner, greener world.
One of the challenges in this space is to ensure that our work is safe, ethical, and inclusive at every stage. We have gone from talking about the potential of our work to actually benefiting billions of people on a daily basis. And now we are applying AI to solve Nobel Prize-level problems in science and society.
Benefitting Lives at Scale
With so much potential, where do we start? We begin by identifying core challenges that, when solved, can have a transformative impact across various domains.
One notable example is AlphaFold, our AI system that accurately predicts protein structures. This groundbreaking solution has helped scientists advance their research. We have also focused on sustainability, using AI to optimize energy production and consumption. By controlling plasma in the nuclear fusion process and reducing energy consumption in data centers, we are changing the game for energy management.
MuZero, initially designed for gaming intelligence, is now enhancing the YouTube experience. By optimizing video compression, we reduce data and energy use, making video content more accessible worldwide.
Looking Ahead
AI is undoubtedly the most transformative technology of our time, but with great power comes great responsibility. We have developed a long-term scientific roadmap to guide our research and ensure safe and responsible deployment of AI technology.
We understand the importance of approaching this journey carefully, involving the smartest minds to pioneer responsibly. The potential benefits for humanity are enormous, and we are committed to making a positive impact while connecting with billions of people around the world.