"Like other AI companies, Google DeepMind is pursuing AGI — a somewhat vague term for a system that is resourceful enough to excel at any cognitive task. Many companies that specialize in LLMs are betting that AGI can be reached by scaling up these models, increasing the data and computing power available until they develop skills general enough to tackle any task.
But for that, Hassabis says, fresh conceptual breakthroughs in AI techniques will probably be needed.
In that regard, the company’s wide research base could bear fruit, say some researchers. The firm has “intellectual diversity there that I don’t see in the other companies”, says Gary Marcus, a neuroscientist at New York University. “I’ve always thought they have a better chance of actually getting to AGI than the other companies,” which are more focused on LLMs.
Wendy Hall, a computer scientist at the University of Southampton, UK, says there’s another key difference between DeepMind and other companies pursuing AGI. Hassabis “understands the boundaries of what they’re doing” and considers what it might mean for humanity to reach AGI, she says.
Hassabis says he feels a duty to demonstrate a responsible scientific approach, in contrast to Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” method. Despite the pressures, Google DeepMind has a chance to do things better than other firms, says Bryson. “They’re in Europe, they have that bit of distance. And they were never in it only for the money,” she says. “But I don’t know if it’s enough.”"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03713-1
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