Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said the most important skill for the next generation will be the ability to “learn how to learn.” He made the comments during a speech in Athens, highlighting how artificial intelligence is accelerating change in education, work, and society.

“It’s very hard to predict the future, like 10 years from now, in normal cases. It’s even harder today, given how fast AI is changing, even week by week,” Hassabis said. “The only thing you can say for certain is that huge change is coming.”

Hassabis argued that alongside math, science, and humanities, young people will need meta-skills—learning strategies, adaptability, and problem-solving—that enable them to keep pace with shifting demands.

“One thing we’ll know for sure is you’re going to have to continually learn ... throughout your career,” he said.

The DeepMind co-founder suggested that artificial general intelligence (AGI), a system as broadly capable as humans, could emerge within the next ten years. He described this possibility as both a risk and an opportunity for “radical abundance.”

This vision reflects DeepMind’s history of breakthroughs, including the AI system that predicts protein folding, which earned Hassabis and colleagues the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. That discovery has already reshaped research in medicine and drug development.

Joining Hassabis at the Athens event, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that AI’s benefits must be broadly distributed to avoid destabilizing inequality.

“Unless people actually see benefits, personal benefits, to this (AI) revolution, they will tend to become very skeptical,” Mitsotakis said. “And if they see ... obscene wealth being created within very few companies, this is a recipe for significant social unrest.”

Q: Who is Demis Hassabis?
A: Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind, a neuroscientist, and 2024 Nobel laureate in Chemistry for AI-driven protein folding breakthroughs.

Q: What skill did Hassabis say is most important for the next generation?
A: Hassabis emphasized “learning how to learn” as the most vital skill in an AI-driven world.

Q: When does Hassabis predict artificial general intelligence might arrive?
A: He suggested AGI could emerge within a decade, bringing risks but also opportunities for “radical abundance.”

Q: What are meta-skills?
A: Meta-skills are adaptive abilities such as continuous learning, critical thinking, and optimizing learning approaches across new subjects.

Q: What concern did Greece’s Prime Minister raise about AI?
A: Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned that if AI’s benefits are not widely shared, it could worsen inequality and spark social unrest.

The Athens discussion underscores a critical shift: technical knowledge alone will not be enough in a world where AI reshapes industries at unprecedented speed. Success will depend on cultivating meta-skills—adaptability, curiosity, and the ability to learn continuously.

At the same time, leaders face the challenge of ensuring that AI-driven progress benefits societies broadly, not just a handful of powerful companies. As Mitsotakis warned, the distribution of benefits could determine whether AI sparks trust and opportunity or skepticism and unrest.

If managed wisely, this transformation could support a new era of human potential and discovery. The essential step is making sure every generation learns not just facts, but how to learn itself.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.