Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on AI, Creativity, and a Golden Age of Science | All-In Summit
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on AI, Creativity, and a Golden Age of Science | All-In Summit
Podcast31 min 48 sec
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Alphabet (GOOGL) is a high-conviction long-term investment, as its foundational AI models position it to lead future markets in robotics, drug discovery, and AI-powered software. For a specific catalyst, monitor Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novartis (NVS), as their AI drug discovery partnership with Google is expected to produce preclinical candidates in 2025. Conversely, the development of generative world models like Google's Genie presents a significant long-term risk to the business model of game engine company Unity (U). The robotics sector is approaching a major inflection point, making GOOGL's strategy to build the industry's core operating system a prime way to gain exposure. Overall, the key takeaway is to be long GOOGL as a foundational AI play while being cautious on companies like U that face direct disruption.

Detailed Analysis

Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)

  • Google DeepMind is described as the "engine room" for all of Alphabet, indicating that its AI technology is fundamental to the company's future across all divisions.
  • The company's flagship AI model, Gemini, is being deeply integrated into nearly every Google product, including Search (AI Overview), Workspace, and Gmail, giving it a distribution channel to billions of users.
  • Google is developing next-generation AI models beyond simple text chatbots:
    • Genie: A "world model" that can generate interactive, controllable 3D worlds from a simple text prompt. This is a significant breakthrough that does not rely on traditional game engines like Unity or Unreal.
    • VEO: A state-of-the-art text-to-video model.
    • Nano Banana: A best-in-class image generator praised for its consistency and ability to follow iterative user commands.
  • The technology behind Genie is seen as a critical step toward building truly capable robots and smart glasses, as it teaches the AI "intuitive physics" and an understanding of the physical world.
  • Isomorphic Labs, a spin-out from DeepMind, is focused on revolutionizing drug discovery. It has major partnerships with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novartis and expects to have drug candidates entering the preclinical phase next year.
  • The company is pursuing a robotics strategy similar to its mobile strategy: creating an "Android for robotics" – a universal operating system that could power a wide range of hardware from different manufacturers.

Takeaways

  • Bullish Sentiment: The discussion paints a deeply bullish picture of Alphabet's position in the AI race. It highlights that the company is not just competing with chatbots but is creating foundational AI technologies for robotics, science, and creative industries.
  • Multiple Growth Vectors: Investors should look beyond advertising revenue. Alphabet is positioning itself to be a key player in several future multi-trillion dollar markets:
    • AI-powered Software: Enhancing its existing suite of products with AI to maintain and grow its user base.
    • Robotics: The "Android for robotics" strategy could make Google the essential software layer for the coming robotics boom, creating a massive new business line.
    • Biotechnology: Through Isomorphic Labs, Google has a significant foothold in AI-driven drug discovery, which could generate substantial revenue through partnerships and royalties.
  • Competitive Moat: The development of unique models like Genie demonstrates a deep R&D capability that may be difficult for competitors to replicate, creating a strong technological moat.

Eli Lilly (LLY) & Novartis (NVS)

  • Both pharmaceutical giants are mentioned as key partners for Isomorphic Labs, Google's AI-driven drug discovery company.
  • Isomorphic Labs aims to use AI to dramatically shorten the drug discovery timeline from a decade down to "weeks or even days" over the next 10 years.
  • The partnership involves Isomorphic identifying and designing promising drug candidates, which will then be handed over to Eli Lilly and Novartis to take through preclinical and clinical trials.
  • The first drug candidates from this collaboration are expected to enter the preclinical phase sometime in 2025, focusing on areas like cancer and immunology.

Takeaways

  • Bullish Sentiment: This partnership provides these established pharmaceutical companies with access to a potentially revolutionary drug discovery engine.
  • R&D Acceleration: Success with Isomorphic could significantly accelerate their R&D pipelines, lower costs, and increase the probability of success for new drugs. This represents a major potential competitive advantage.
  • Future Pipeline Growth: For investors in LLY and NVS, this collaboration is a key catalyst to watch. Positive news from preclinical trials in 2025 and beyond could be a significant driver for the stocks.

Unity (U)

  • Unity and Unreal Engine are mentioned as the traditional, complex 3D rendering engines used to create video games and virtual worlds.
  • The transcript explicitly contrasts this old method with Google's new Genie model, which generates interactive worlds automatically from text prompts without needing a pre-programmed physics engine or 3D objects.
  • Demis Hassabis, who has a background in game development, highlights how "mind-blowing" it is that Genie can effortlessly create complex effects (like reflections on water) that were incredibly difficult to program by hand in engines like Unity.

Takeaways

  • Potential Bearish Sentiment / Long-Term Risk: The discussion positions Google's generative AI technology as a potential long-term disruptor to the business model of companies like Unity.
  • Shifting Paradigm: If creating interactive content becomes as simple as describing it to an AI, the need for complex, skill-intensive development platforms could decrease for a large segment of creators.
  • Monitor Technology: Investors in Unity should closely monitor the progress of generative world models like Genie. While the technology is still new, its advancement represents a significant long-term risk factor for the company's core business.

Investment Theme: Robotics

  • The discussion suggests the robotics industry is approaching a major inflection point, with a "real wow moment" expected in the next couple of years.
  • The current state of robotics is compared to the "70s era PC," implying it's still early, but the pace of development is incredibly fast ("10 years happens in one year").
  • Humanoid robots are seen as a particularly important form factor for general and personal use, as they are designed to operate in a world built for humans (e.g., using stairs, opening doors).
  • The key bottleneck is shifting from hardware to software. The development of a generalized AI "operating system" for robotics, like the one Google is pursuing, is seen as the catalyst that will unlock a proliferation of robotic devices and companies.

Takeaways

  • Sector on the Cusp: The robotics sector is poised for explosive growth, but it may still be slightly too early to pick specific hardware winners, as designs are iterating quickly.
  • Focus on the "Brain": The most valuable component of the future robotics industry will likely be the AI software that powers the robots. Companies like Google (Alphabet) that are building this "brain" are strong long-term plays on the entire sector.
  • Investment Horizon: This is a long-term theme. While a "wow moment" may be near, widespread adoption and the emergence of clear market leaders will likely play out over the next 5-10 years.

Investment Theme: Energy Demand from AI

  • The massive energy consumption required for training and running AI models is acknowledged as a major topic in the tech industry.
  • However, two counterpoints are presented:
    1. Efficiency Gains: AI models are becoming dramatically more efficient. For the same level of performance, models are 10x to 100x more efficient than they were just two years ago. This helps control costs for companies serving AI at scale, like Google.
    2. AI as a Solution: Over the long term (the next 10 years), it's believed that AI will "give back" far more to the energy sector than it consumes. This will be achieved by using AI to design more efficient electrical grids, discover new materials for energy production/storage, and even help control fusion reactors.

Takeaways

  • Short-Term vs. Long-Term: There are two distinct ways to view this theme.
    • Short-Term (Bullish for Energy Infrastructure): The continued training of larger "frontier" models will drive significant demand for electricity, benefiting utility companies and those building data center infrastructure.
    • Long-Term (Bullish for AI-driven Innovation): The ultimate impact of AI on the energy sector is expected to be positive. Investors should look for companies that are using AI to create innovative solutions to energy problems, as they could be major long-term winners.
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Episode Description
(0:00) Introducing Sir Demis Hassabis, reflecting on his Nobel Prize win (2:39) What is Google DeepMind? How does it interact with Google and Alphabet? (4:01) Genie 3 world model (9:21) State of robotics models, form factors, and more (14:42) AI science breakthroughs, measuring AGI (20:49) Nano-Banana and the future of creative tools, democratization of creativity (24:44) Isomorphic Labs, probabilistic vs deterministic, scaling compute, a golden age of science Thanks to our partners for making this happen! Solana: https://solana.com/ OKX: https://www.okx.com/ Google Cloud: https://cloud.google.com/ IREN: https://iren.com/ Oracle: https://www.oracle.com/ Circle: https://www.circle.com/ BVNK: https://www.bvnk.com/ Follow Demis: https://x.com/demishassabis Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect
About All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

By All-In Podcast, LLC

Industry veterans, degenerate gamblers & besties Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks & David Friedberg cover all things economic, tech, political, social & poker.