On a warm September evening in Athens, the ancient stones of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus provided a dramatic backdrop for a conversation that looked firmly toward the future. Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google’s DeepMind and a 2024 Nobel laureate, took the stage at the foot of the Acropolis to address an audience eager to understand how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world—especially education and the workplace. According to the Associated Press, Hassabis’s message was clear: in an era of dizzying technological change, the most crucial skill for the next generation is “learning how to learn.”
Hassabis, a neuroscientist and former chess prodigy, didn’t mince words about the pace of change. “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,” he told the crowd, as reported by Newsday. “The only thing you can say for certain is that huge change is coming.”
He described a future where artificial general intelligence—machines as broadly smart as humans, or at least capable of performing many tasks as well as people—could arrive within a decade. This milestone, Hassabis suggested, would usher in dramatic advances and the tantalizing possibility of what he called “radical abundance.” Yet, he also acknowledged the risks that come with such rapid progress.
Hassabis’s central argument revolved around the importance of “meta-skills.” These are skills that transcend any single discipline: the ability to understand how to learn, to adapt, and to optimize one’s approach to new and unfamiliar subjects. While traditional subjects like math, science, and the humanities remain important, he said, they must be complemented by the capacity to continually acquire new knowledge and adjust to unforeseen challenges. “One thing we’ll know for sure is you’re going to have to continually learn ... throughout your career,” Hassabis emphasized, as quoted by AP.
It’s a message that resonates in a world where AI is already transforming industries at a breathtaking pace. DeepMind, the London-based research lab Hassabis co-founded in 2010 and later sold to Google, has been at the forefront of these changes. In 2024, Hassabis shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing AI systems that can predict protein folding with remarkable accuracy—a breakthrough that’s revolutionizing medicine and drug discovery. This achievement, highlighted by both AP and Newsday, underscores just how quickly AI is moving from theoretical promise to real-world impact.
The event wasn’t just a showcase for technological optimism. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis joined Hassabis on stage, and their discussion ranged from the potential for AI to improve government services to the broader societal implications of unchecked tech industry growth. Mitsotakis, as reported by both AP and Newsday, sounded a note of caution: “Unless people actually see benefits, personal benefits, to this (AI) revolution, they will tend to become very skeptical. And if they see ... obscene wealth being created within very few companies, this is a recipe for significant social unrest.”
Mitsotakis’s warning reflects a growing global concern. The rapid ascent of tech giants has already led to enormous concentrations of wealth and power, and the continued advance of AI could amplify these trends. Without policies to ensure that the benefits of AI are widely shared, the risk of deepening economic inequality—and the social tensions that come with it—will only grow. The Prime Minister’s remarks echoed the unease felt by many around the world who wonder whether the AI revolution will lift all boats or merely enrich a select few.
Yet, the tone of the evening was not one of despair but of possibility. The conversation between Hassabis and Mitsotakis returned frequently to the idea that AI, if harnessed wisely, could be a force for good—improving lives, expanding access to knowledge, and helping societies tackle challenges from healthcare to climate change. But, as Hassabis underscored, realizing this potential will require a fundamental shift in how people approach learning and skill development.
“Meta-skills” may sound like a buzzword, but the concept is rooted in the realities of a world where knowledge is constantly evolving. In the past, it was possible to master a profession and rely on that expertise for decades. Today, however, entire industries can be upended in the span of a few years—or even months. The ability to adapt, to learn new things quickly, and to approach problems with a flexible mindset is becoming not just an advantage, but a necessity.
The significance of the venue was not lost on the participants. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, with its storied history stretching back nearly two millennia, served as a reminder of the enduring value of education and inquiry. Yet, as Hassabis pointed out, the methods and mindsets that served past generations may not be enough to prepare today’s students and workers for what lies ahead.
The event’s scheduling offered a small but telling glimpse into the intersection of technology, culture, and national identity. Mitsotakis thanked Hassabis—whose father is Greek Cypriot—for rescheduling the presentation to avoid clashing with the European basketball championship semifinal between Greece and Turkey. (For the record, Greece later lost the game 94-68, as noted by both AP and Newsday. Even in the age of AI, some traditions remain sacred.)
As the evening drew to a close, the audience was left with a sense of both urgency and hope. The future, Hassabis reminded everyone, is uncertain—perhaps more so now than ever before. But with the right skills and a commitment to lifelong learning, individuals and societies can navigate the coming waves of change.
The challenge, as Mitsotakis made clear, is ensuring that these changes benefit not just a privileged few, but people everywhere. The conversation in Athens was a microcosm of a much larger debate playing out across the globe: How can humanity harness the power of AI to build a better, fairer world? The answer, it seems, will depend as much on our willingness to learn and adapt as on the technologies themselves.
In the shadow of the Acropolis, amid ancient stones and modern anxieties, one thing was clear: the future belongs to those who never stop learning.
