Demis Hassabis, born on July 27, 1976, is a British artificial intelligence researcher, neuroscientist, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs, and also serves as a UK Government AI Adviser. Hassabis was a child chess prodigy, achieving master standard at age 13. He also designed and programmed the award-winning game Theme Park at the age of 17. He obtained a double first in Computer Science from Cambridge University and later earned a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from University College London. His early career involved designing video games, followed by a return to academia to explore the intersection of neuroscience and AI.
Hassabis is best known for his work in artificial intelligence, particularly as the head of Google DeepMind, which he co-founded in 2010. DeepMind is recognized for developing AlphaGo, the first program to defeat a world champion in the game of Go, and AlphaFold, which solved the protein folding problem. In 2024, Hassabis and John M. Jumper were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their AI research contributions to protein structure prediction. In addition to his role at DeepMind, Hassabis founded Isomorphic Labs in 2021, a company focused on using AI for drug discovery. He has received numerous awards and honors, including being appointed a CBE in 2017 and knighted in 2024 for his contributions to AI. He was also listed among the Time 100 most influential people in the world in 2017 and 2025.