Understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) will develop over the next year, or even the next five years, is difficult to gauge. The rate at which the technology is progressing is not only accelerating but doing so exponentially and at an unpredictable rhythm. When AI achieves the capability to self-improve without human intervention, it could quickly surpass current expectations.

In a revealing interview with Bloomberg, Demis Hassabis, CEO and Co-Founder of Google’s pioneering AI research company DeepMind, shared his perspectives on the current state and future trajectory of AI. Hassabis acknowledged the hype surrounding AI but cautioned against underestimating its long-term potential.

“I think AI’s overhyped in the short term and probably underestimated over the long term like what it’s going to bring,” said Hassabis.

Hassabis shared his enthusiasm for the recent breakthroughs in drug discovery made possible by DeepMind’s AI technology, AlphaFold by stressing the progress expected in the near term. However, he called attention to an even more significant leap on the horizon: “I think the next things we’re going to see perhaps this year, maybe next year, is more agent-like behavior. So systems that are able not only to just, you know, answer questions for you, but actually plan and act in the world and solve goals.”

Hassabis believes that these “agent-like” AI systems, capable of planning and executing actions in the real world, will elevate the usefulness of AI to unprecedented levels, transforming it into a truly indispensable everyday assistant.

Looking further into the future, Hassabis expressed confidence that the eventual outcomes of AI will surpass even the most optimistic projections of today.

He also expressed his belief that the eventual outcomes of current advancements will surpass even the most optimistic expectations that are envisioned in the near term.

While acknowledging the twists and turns inherent in any new technology’s development, Hassabis firmly believes in the transformative power of AI in the long run.

“But in the longer term, I think there’s going to be enormous benefits and enormous opportunities,” he expressed.

Hassabis’ thoughts offer us a moderate viewpoint to look at the future trajectory of AI — a call to temper short-term expectations while embracing the vast, perhaps underestimated, long-term potential of this novel technology that is set to dominate the future.

Featured image: Credit: Bloomberg