Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind and Nobel laureate in Chemistry, once shared the book that influenced him most as a student: Richard Feynman’s “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
Feynman’s Stories Over formulas
Hassabis, who co-developed AlphaFold2, the AI system revolutionizing protein structure prediction, explained that the book captures the joy of exploring science.
“I really recommend to any students watching this to read those books,” he said during an interview in Stockholm for the 2024 Nobel Prize ceremony. “I think he really explains and gets across how enjoyable, how thrilling it is to be exploring at the frontiers of Science.”
The Nobel winner also highlighted that inspiration doesn’t only come from mentors but also from engaging with the ideas of great thinkers.
“A lot of it actually comes from reading the greats and trying to understand and take inspiration from them,” Hassabis added.
Icons Of Computing And AI
Beyond Feynman, Hassabis cited pioneers like Alan Turing, Claude Shannon and John von Neumann as formative influences, crediting them for laying the foundations of computing, information theory and artificial intelligence.
He highlighted that these thinkers shaped his path in AI research and entrepreneurship.
A Life Shaped By Curiosity
Hassabis, who sold DeepMind to Google in 2014 for $650 million with an AI ethics board condition, said that curiosity-driven exploration has been central to his career.
Feynman, a 1965 Nobel laureate in Physics, was known for his groundbreaking work in quantum physics and particle physics, as well as his wit and unconventional approach to learning.
Elon Musk’s Take On Feynman
Interestingly, Elon Musk has expressed a more critical view of Feynman’s physics lectures.
In 2023, he said, “It isn’t clear to me why people like Feynman’s physics lectures so much. I found them to be ok, but not great. Wouldn’t recommend them either to those who want to learn physics or those who have.”
However, Musk agreed with Hassabis on Feynman’s non-physics books, noting that Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! is entertaining and insightful for a broader audience.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Olga Popova on Shutterstock.com
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