Google DeepMind: The Podcast

Shane Legg, Chief AGI Scientist and co-founder of Google DeepMind, has been talking about artificial general intelligence, or AGI, for more than a decade. So what’s changed? According to Shane, now is the time to take it seriously. In this episode, Shane walks Professor Hannah Fry through his AGI framework, breaking down the levels from minimal to full AGI, and his timelines for each. They discuss the economic and societal shifts AGI will bring, the potential impact on work, and the extraordinary possibilities for human flourishing.

Five years ago, AlphaFold 2 solved the protein structure prediction problem, unlocking new avenues of biological research and providing our first major proof point that AI can be a powerful tool to advance science. The profound scientific and societal value of this work was even recognized in 2024 with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In this episode, Hannah is joined by John Jumper, one of the most instrumental scientists behind AlphaFold. He shares stories about his Nobel win, the tool's unexpected applications, and the shift in architecture from AlphaFold 2 to the more comprehensive AlphaFold 3.

How do you train an AI to drive safer than a human? Professor Hannah Fry sits down with Waymo Distinguished Engineer Vincent Vanhoucke to break down the complexities of autonomous driving—from the "closed loop" problem of real-world traffic to using generative AI for simulation. Plus, Hannah moves from theory to practice, taking a Waymo for a spin in California to experience it firsthand.

In part two, Hannah and Four tackle the human element at the heart of cybersecurity: Who are the bad actors, and what motivates them? They dissect the evolving strategies designed to stop social engineering attacks - like passkeys and risk-based authentication - and confront the complex security and privacy challenges that may be introduced by autonomous agents.

Social engineering, cyberattacks, and the fog of war - all topics covered in this interview with the VP of Security and Privacy at Google DeepMind. Hannah Fry and Four Flynn take us behind the scenes of Operation Aurora, the monumental 2009 attack on Google that forever changed the landscape of cybersecurity. They discuss the defender's dilemma, the constant battle between attackers and defenders in the digital world, and how AI can potentially help mitigate some of the most complex vulnerabilities. As Hannah said, there was just too much to fit into one episode, so keep an eye on your feed for part 2. If you’re worried about missing it, why not subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes. Until next time!