‘We don’t just want to build machines that are smart, but 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 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This quote, taken from the documentary The Thinking Game, aptly summarizes his vision. Hassabis aims to develop technology that can actually have a positive impact on our world.  

The fact that the documentary was briefly shown in The Netherlands was thanks to Gerard van Westen, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Pharmacochemistry at Leiden University (and the 2023 KNCV Gold Medal laureate). He managed to secure an exclusive licence to screen the documentary in the brand new Gorlaeus chemistry building. Van Westen’s research focuses on using AI to discover patterns in large amounts of biomedical data. By doing so, promising molecules for pharmaceutical applications can be identified (much) faster.  

AlphaFold  

Van Westen is also involved in developing AI tools that can predict protein folding and molecular interactions, similar to DeepMind’s AlphaFold project. Such technologies can make important contributions to the development of treatments for complex diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.  

Offering a fascinating insight into the world of AI, The Thinking Game follows the five-year journey of Hassabis and his team, culminating in the development of AlphaFold. With this breakthrough, they solved a 50-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 drugs are developed, demonstrating that AI can have a direct impact on our daily lives.  

Abandoned space  

Director Greg Kohs succeeds in presenting an accessible yet profound portrait of one of the greatest scientific adventures of our time. He shows the determination of Hassabis and his team, but also the setbacks they encounter along the way. For instance, in the first shots we see a gameroom full of highly focused developers as their AI player takes on a human opponent in the game StarCraft. But as soon as the AI player loses, a shot of an abandoned room follows. The team has retreated to their desks to work on improvements. A powerful image that captures both the stamina of scientists and the reality they have to face in which setbacks are inevitable.  

Despite DeepMind’s impressive achievements, important questions also remain unanswered. It is unfortunate that the documentary only very briefly addresses 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 views on how such risks might be curbed in the future. Not least because of the involvement of big tech players like Google.  

Mystery  

When considering the cinematography, we mostly see talking heads, offices and labs, with a surprisingly nice animated sequence in which Hassabis shares his vision of AI multiplying human brain power. Yet the portrait of Hassabis himself remains superficial; who he really is and what his personal drivers are remain a mystery.  

As a documentary, The Thinking Game succeeds. Whether you are interested in technology, science, or simply a good story about perseverance, The Thinking Game offers it all. Inspiring, informative and, above all, an ode to the power of the human mind.