Sir Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind, has hailed artificial intelligence as offering a massive opportunity for India’s young population. Hassabis urges students to master AI tools and position themselves at the forefront of the technology’s transformative wave, even though the technology is still in its early stages.
Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Hassabis praised the vibrant energy and rapid progress he observed in India over the past decade. “I have been incredibly impressed by the energy that is here in India,” he said. “Recommend that students lean in to become incredibly proficient in AI tools,” he added.
He highlighted that India’s youth are uniquely positioned to thrive in the AI era. “AI offers a huge opportunity for India’s youth… You have all the tools in the world” at their disposal, Hassabis stated, encouraging more engagement with AI to shape its future applications.
AI’s transformative power and current limitations
Hassabis described AI as “the most transformative technology in human history,” drawing inspiration from the human brain in its development. He highlighted the shift into the “agentic era,” where autonomous AI systems handle complex, multi-step tasks, thus freeing humans to do more creative and complex tasks.
However, he cautioned that the AI sector is still “not there yet” in achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). “There are still things that systems can’t do,” he noted, pointing to challenges in continued learning, long-term planning, and consistency. As an example, he said current models can win international math Olympiad medals yet still make mistakes in elementary mathematics problems, describing their capabilities as “jagged.”
Hassabis called for global cooperation on risks
Hassabis stressed the importance of international summits like India’s AI Impact Summit 2026 to bring together policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders. “It is crucial to have summits like this that bring the international community together. Need international cooperation to mitigate risks,” he said.
He expressed particular concern about emerging threats in the agentic era, including bio and cyber risks from misuse by “bad actors.” “Need to ensure guard rails are in place” and “worry about bio and cyber risk very soon,” Hassabis warned, advocating for robust safety measures alongside innovation.