‘The Thinking Game’ gives you a behind-the-scenes look at DeepMind

‘We don’t just want to build machines that are intelligent, but ones that can change the world in a positive way. The ultimate goal is to unravel the mysteries of artificial general intelligence,’ said Demis Hassabis, founder of DeepMind and winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024. This quote, taken from the documentary The Thinking Game, encapsulates his vision aptly. Hassabis strives to develop technology that can truly have a positive impact on the world.

That the documentary was shown briefly in the Netherlands was thanks to Gerard van Westen, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Medicinal Chemistry at Leiden University (and winner of the KNCV Gold Medal in 2023). He managed to secure an exclusive licence to screen the documentary in the brand-new Gorlaeus building. Van Westen’s research focuses on using AI to discover patterns in large quantities of biomedical data. By doing so, promising molecules for pharmaceutical applications can be identified more rapidly.

AlphaFold

Van Westen is also involved in the development of AI tools capable of predicting protein folding and molecular interactions, comparable to DeepMind’s AlphaFold project. Such technologies could make significant contributions to the development of treatments for complex diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.

The Thinking Game offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of AI, following Hassabis and his team over a five-year journey, with the development of AlphaFold as its crowning achievement. With this breakthrough, they solved a fifty-year-old mystery of protein folding by accurately predicting how chains of amino acids fold into specific three-dimensional structures. AlphaFold has the potential to radically change the way medicines are developed, demonstrating that AI can have a direct impact on our everyday lives.

Empty Room

Director Greg Kohs succeeds in painting an accessible yet deeply insightful portrait of one of the greatest scientific adventures of our time. He captures the determination of Hassabis and his team, but also the setbacks they encounter along the way. In one scene, we see a game room full of tense developers as their AI player goes head-to-head with a human opponent in the game StarCraft. But the moment the AI player loses, the camera cuts to an empty room. The team has retreated to their desks to work on improvements. It is a powerful image that captures both unwavering resolve and the reality of science, in which setbacks are inevitable.

Despite DeepMind’s impressive achievements, a number of important questions remain unanswered. It is a shame that the documentary only briefly touches on the ethical issues surrounding AI and offers little reflection on its potential risks. Hassabis does acknowledge that AI can do both good and harm, but it would have been interesting to hear his vision for how such risks might be kept in check in the future — not least given the involvement of major players such as Google.

Mystery

In terms of visual flair, we see a great deal of talking heads, offices and laboratories, with a welcome surprise in the form of a beautifully animated sequence in which Hassabis shares his vision for multiplying human brainpower through AI. Yet the portrait of Hassabis himself remains somewhat superficial; who he truly is and what drives him on a personal level remains a mystery.

As a documentary, however, The Thinking Game is a great success. Whether you are interested in technology, science, or simply a good story about perseverance, The Thinking Game delivers on all fronts. Inspiring, informative, and above all an ode to the power of the human mind.