Demis Hassabis Warns AI Revolution Will Surpass Industrial Revolution by Tenfold and Accelerate Rapidly
London, August 4, 2025 – Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind, has delivered a stark forecast about the forthcoming impact of artificial intelligence, predicting that the AI revolution will be ten times bigger—and possibly ten times faster—than the Industrial Revolution.
<pHassabis, whose company pioneered breakthroughs such as AlphaGo and AlphaFold, recently shared his vision in various interviews and talks, emphasizing the transformative societal and economic changes soon to be unleashed by the advent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a form of AI capable of performing a wide range of intellectual tasks on par with humans.
“We’re looking at something that may outscale the Industrial Revolution by an order of magnitude,” Hassabis said, underscoring that while the Industrial Revolution spanned roughly a century, AI developments could achieve comparable magnitude in about a decade. This compressed timeline will compound the transformative power of AI, creating disruptions and opportunities at an unprecedented pace.
Originating in the UK in 2010, DeepMind merged with Google AI Brain in 2023 to intensify efforts toward AGI development. Hassabis has positioned this technology as potentially unparalleled in scope. “I think some of the biggest problems that face us today as a society, whether that’s climate or disease, will be helped by AI solutions,” Hassabis noted, highlighting the promise of AI to address global challenges from zero-carbon energy to disease eradication and ecosystem restoration.
Economic and Workforce Transformations Underway
Hassabis believes that AI tools will augment rather than simply replace human roles, turbocharging productivity across sectors such as healthcare, where AI-assisted roles could significantly improve diagnostics and treatment options. However, industry experts warn that technological disruption could also drastically reshape labor markets. For example, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, forecasts that up to half of entry-level jobs could be automated within five years, potentially raising unemployment rates significantly in some regions.
Despite these concerns, Hassabis downplays widespread fears of job losses, framing AI as a partner in human endeavor rather than a threat. He envisions a ‘‘golden era’’ by the 2030s, with advanced AI aiding human flourishing on Earth and enabling ventures such as interstellar colonization.
A Timeline to AGI and Beyond
While predictions for the arrival of AGI vary among experts, Hassabis estimates a five to ten-year timeline before its emergence. This reflects a faster-than-expected acceleration in artificial intelligence capabilities, driven by recent breakthroughs in computational models and large-scale data utilization.
His own company’s journey includes monumental achievements such as AlphaFold, an AI system capable of predicting protein structures to a degree that won its creators broad acclaim and significant scientific recognition—akin to a Nobel Prize level impact.
Balancing Promise and Challenge
Hassabis stresses that although AI presents immense opportunities—including addressing climate change, disease, energy, and resource scarcity—there exist risks related to societal adaptation, governance, and ethics. The challenge lies in ensuring AI’s benefits are widely shared and that appropriate safeguards are in place as its influence accelerates.
As the head of one of the world’s leading AI research organizations, Hassabis remains optimistic about humanity’s capacity to navigate this transformative technological epoch. “I’d be very worried about society today if I didn’t know that something as transformative as AI was coming down the line,” he said.
His perspective invites policymakers, industry leaders, and the global community to prepare for rapid change—making decisions that harness AI’s potential while managing its societal impact responsibly.