Google DeepMind leader Demis Hassabis outlined the ultimate vision for artificial intelligence at the Davos Forum: not only aiming to have AI-designed drugs enter clinical trials by 2026 but also predicting a "golden age of discovery" for humanity within the next 10 to 15 years.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, gave an exclusive interview. In this in-depth discussion about the future of AI, Hassabis not only disclosed the latest progress of Google's large model Gemini but also emphasized the disruptive potential of AI in the biopharmaceutical field, along with the anticipated explosion of intelligent agents and robotics.

Targeting "Solving All Diseases": 2026 Could Be a Turning Point As the creator of AlphaFold, the protein structure prediction model, Hassabis is attempting to translate this technology into actual drug therapies through his startup, Isomorphic Labs. He revealed a critical timeline in the interview: 2026. Hassabis stated, "We hope to have the first drug enter the clinical trial phase by early 2026."

Isomorphic Labs is currently researching multiple areas, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and immunology, and has established partnerships with Eli Lilly and other top global pharmaceutical giants. Currently, the company has 17 drug projects underway and plans to eventually expand to hundreds. Hassabis pointed out that traditional drug development takes an average of 10 years, costs billions of dollars, and has a success rate of only about 10%. His goal is to use AI to complete most of the search and design work at the "silicon" level, using the wet lab only for validation steps, thereby improving efficiency by "hundreds of thousands of times." Hassabis did not hide his ambition, stating clearly that the company's mission is to "solve intelligence, and then use that to solve everything else."

Gemini 3 Has Crossed a "Watershed Moment" Discussing AI integration within Google, Hassabis compared Google DeepMind to Google's "engine room," powering products like Search, YouTube, and Chrome. Regarding the progress of large models, Hassabis confirmed that Gemini 3 has crossed a "watershed moment." He said, "For our Gemini 3, we crossed a watershed moment... It is now very capable, and I certainly use it in my daily life to help me with research, summarization, and coding."

He emphasized that Google is rediscovering the traits of its "golden age"—taking risks, releasing quickly, and innovating. He revealed that to address competition, Google has rebuilt its infrastructure to rapidly deploy the capabilities of the latest models into its products.

The Next Killer App: Smart Glasses and Robotics Regarding AI commercialization and future forms that interest investors, Hassabis provided specific predictions. He believes AI agents and more autonomous systems will truly begin to emerge by the end of this year, allowing users to delegate entire tasks to them. Notably, Hassabis revisited the potential of "smart glasses." He believes AI technology is the key piece that could make smart glasses truly viable. Hassabis said, "I think a killer application might emerge on smart glasses."

He envisioned a concept of a "universal assistant" that spans all devices—phones, computers, and glasses—understanding the user's context and providing services. Furthermore, he is optimistic about the prospects of robotics. He predicted, "In the next 18 months or so, I think we will also see a breakthrough moment in robotics."

Outlook: A New Renaissance and Golden Age Concluding the interview, Hassabis offered an imaginative outlook on the world in the next 10 to 15 years. He believes that, if developed properly, humanity will usher in a new "golden age of discovery" and a "new renaissance." Hassabis stated, "I think human health will be completely transformed... personalized medicine will become a reality," adding that AI will also be used to solve the energy crisis (e.g., nuclear fusion, solar power, battery technology), ultimately leading humanity into a world of "extreme abundance" with the capability to "explore the galaxy."

Reflecting on the rapid pace of change, Hassabis summarized, "It feels like almost every year for the past 10 years, (massive changes) have been happening. I think this year is no exception."