7 ms·

Desert Island Discs – Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind [audio]

136 points by tim_sw 9y ago

SBCRec 9y ago
Thanks for linking this. Has given me inspiration to finish off some of my projects. It is interesting he comes from a game design background.
sambeau 9y ago
I can highly recommend this. For us Brits this is a national institution and appearing on it is considered a badge of honour similar to a minor peerage. We listen to it live on a Sunday morning. If you enjoy the format there is a large archive of these with many of the most influential people of the 20th century. However the modern (Kirsty Young) ones are by far the most insightful due to her masterful, understated interviewing. I offer these as a taster to non-Brits who would like to hear more: Dustin Hoffman: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p314n http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p314n Tom Hanks: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079m78n http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079m78n Bruce Springsteen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0855znp http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0855znp Bill Gates: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06z1zdt http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06z1zdt
- atmosx 9y ago
  Thanks for this! This is an amazing series!!! I'll probably listen everything in time! Another amazing podcast series from BBC is "a brief history of mathematics": http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes/downloads http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes/downloads
  - pjc50 9y ago
    The programme has been running since 1942, so "everything" is rather a lot :) There are a few more programmes of similar longevity, one that people may like is Alistair Cooke's "Letter from America" http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f6hbp http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f6hbp from 24 March 1946 to 20 February 2004
    - atmosx 9y ago
      Indeed! Ok, maybe not all of them but definitely some of them! :-)
  - oretoz 9y ago
    "In our times" is great too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/37pR8YxRMhVwwZvX93r0RZm/in-our-time-downloads http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/37pR8YxRMhVwwZvX93r...
nopinsight 9y ago
I enjoyed listening to the short segment on how and why he gave up chess at 11 despite being ranked 2nd in the world for that age group. Remarkable reflectiveness for an 11-year-old. Check out this down the page: "Demis Hassabis: ‘I thought we were wasting our minds’ AI expert Demis Hassabis on giving up chess tournaments aged 11." It makes me wonder how many other brilliant minds are wasted on trivial pursuits and how we can better engage them on major problems of our increasingly complex world.
- imranq 9y ago
  I mean you can argue that as nice as AlphaGo is, it has not accomplished any thing real outside of being better at some games.
  - robertk 9y ago
    Tick tock, my dear friend, the fruits of a mathematical harvest take long to grow; but the rewarding bounties may be enough to feed the walking earth. Or at least the probability of that is higher than Magnus Carlsen providing gain to human welfare of equal measure. ;-)
  - nopinsight 9y ago
    For a start: DeepMind AI Reduces Google Data Centre Cooling Bill by 40% https://deepmind.com/blog/deepmind-ai-reduces-google-data-centre-cooling-bill-40/ https://deepmind.com/blog/deepmind-ai-reduces-google-data-ce...
    - imranq 9y ago
      But how much of that saving is because AlphaGo is so great vs a baseline machine learning algorithm?
  - psyc 9y ago
    I encounter comments every day on HN and Reddit, from people with no vision who seem to believe the status quo defines the limit of technology.
ngcc_hk 9y ago
Actually Mozart know about copying as he do scores. And publishing is one of those public goods thing that is key to most of the things we treAsured and talked about here. E=mc2 is a fish, it cannot be consumed and used by you only.
epberry 9y ago
Wow I had never heard this program and the interviewer did a fantastic job. Demis's intellect really shows through. It's really clear how hard he works and how driven he is. This has given me some inspiration on what otherwise might a lazy Saturday.
pjs_ 9y ago
KLF - yes mate :)

136 points by tim_sw 9y ago

Thanks for linking this. Has given me inspiration to finish off some of my projects. It is interesting he comes from a game design background.

sambeau 9y ago

I can highly recommend this. For us Brits this is a national institution and appearing on it is considered a badge of honour similar to a minor peerage. We listen to it live on a Sunday morning. If you enjoy the format there is a large archive of these with many of the most influential people of the 20th century. However the modern (Kirsty Young) ones are by far the most insightful due to her masterful, understated interviewing. I offer these as a taster to non-Brits who would like to hear more: Dustin Hoffman: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p314n http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p314n Tom Hanks: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079m78n http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079m78n Bruce Springsteen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0855znp http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0855znp Bill Gates: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06z1zdt http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06z1zdt

atmosx 9y ago
Thanks for this! This is an amazing series!!! I'll probably listen everything in time! Another amazing podcast series from BBC is "a brief history of mathematics": http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes/downloads http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes/downloads
- pjc50 9y ago
  The programme has been running since 1942, so "everything" is rather a lot :) There are a few more programmes of similar longevity, one that people may like is Alistair Cooke's "Letter from America" http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f6hbp http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f6hbp from 24 March 1946 to 20 February 2004
  - atmosx 9y ago
    Indeed! Ok, maybe not all of them but definitely some of them! :-)
- oretoz 9y ago
  "In our times" is great too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/37pR8YxRMhVwwZvX93r0RZm/in-our-time-downloads http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/37pR8YxRMhVwwZvX93r...

nopinsight 9y ago

I enjoyed listening to the short segment on how and why he gave up chess at 11 despite being ranked 2nd in the world for that age group. Remarkable reflectiveness for an 11-year-old. Check out this down the page: "Demis Hassabis: ‘I thought we were wasting our minds’ AI expert Demis Hassabis on giving up chess tournaments aged 11." It makes me wonder how many other brilliant minds are wasted on trivial pursuits and how we can better engage them on major problems of our increasingly complex world.

imranq 9y ago
I mean you can argue that as nice as AlphaGo is, it has not accomplished any thing real outside of being better at some games.
- robertk 9y ago
  Tick tock, my dear friend, the fruits of a mathematical harvest take long to grow; but the rewarding bounties may be enough to feed the walking earth. Or at least the probability of that is higher than Magnus Carlsen providing gain to human welfare of equal measure. ;-)
- nopinsight 9y ago
  For a start: DeepMind AI Reduces Google Data Centre Cooling Bill by 40% https://deepmind.com/blog/deepmind-ai-reduces-google-data-centre-cooling-bill-40/ https://deepmind.com/blog/deepmind-ai-reduces-google-data-ce...
  - imranq 9y ago
    But how much of that saving is because AlphaGo is so great vs a baseline machine learning algorithm?
- psyc 9y ago
  I encounter comments every day on HN and Reddit, from people with no vision who seem to believe the status quo defines the limit of technology.

ngcc_hk 9y ago

Actually Mozart know about copying as he do scores. And publishing is one of those public goods thing that is key to most of the things we treAsured and talked about here. E=mc2 is a fish, it cannot be consumed and used by you only.

epberry 9y ago

Wow I had never heard this program and the interviewer did a fantastic job. Demis's intellect really shows through. It's really clear how hard he works and how driven he is. This has given me some inspiration on what otherwise might a lazy Saturday.

pjs_ 9y ago

KLF - yes mate :)