Be proficient in AI tools to lead next tech wave: Google DeepMind CEO tells India's youth

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said he was 'incredibly impressed' by the energy in the country, particularly the optimism among young Indians towards AI.

New Delhi: India's youth could emerge as the vanguard of the AI transformation if they fully embrace and master new Artificial Intelligence tools, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said on Wednesday.

Addressing India AI Impact Summit, he urged students to become proficient in emerging AI tools to unlock their full potential.

Responding to a question on the role India can play amid resource constraints but abundant talent, Hassabis said he was "incredibly impressed" by the energy in the country, particularly the optimism among young Indians towards AI.

Referring to survey findings indicating strong positivity about AI in India, he said this openness could become a defining advantage in the coming decade.

Hassabis advised students to become highly proficient with AI tools, saying that over the next 10 years, such skills would "almost make them superpowered" across fields ranging from business to science.

Comparing the current moment to the dawn of the computer, internet and mobile eras, he said the generation that grows up native to AI would achieve breakthroughs that are difficult to imagine today.

"...and that is going to happen with AI and India and youth here could well be at the vanguard of that," he said.