Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry Describes How His Work Could Transform Lives
Ask students: Where is AlphaFold used? How did Hassabis' childhood interests in gaming and chess help lead him to his research on artificial intelligence?
The Nobel Prize in chemistry went to three scientists for groundbreaking work using artificial intelligence to advance biomedical and protein research. AlphaFold uses databases of protein structures and sequences to predict and even design protein structures. It speeds up a months or years-long process to mere hours or minutes. Amna Nawaz discussed more with one of the winners, Demis Hassabis.
View the transcript of the story.
Discussion Questions
- Who is Demis Hassabis, and what is his background?
- What is AlphaFold, and what does it do?
- Where is AlphaFold used?
- How did Hassabis' childhood interests in gaming and chess help lead him to his research on artificial intelligence?
- Why has Hassabis' colleague Geoffrey Hinton been "sounding the alarm on potential dangers" of AI?
Focus Questions
- What are some of the reasons that Hassabis gives for his optimism about artificial intelligence? Do you share his optimism?
- What are some of the concerns he mentions? What concerns do you yourself have, and why?
- Media literacy: Examine the graphic that appears below. Does it surprise you that the majority of Americans may feel this way? What do you think?
Extension Activity
Watch the following video featuring Geoffrey Hinton, Hassabis' partner and a scientist known as the "Father of AI." Then as a class, discuss:
- What are some of Hinton's concerns about AI?
- How does his perspective seem to differ from Hassabis' perspective?
- What does Hinton suggest for addressing the potential risks with AI? Do you think his suggestions are likely to be carried out? Why or why not?
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of NewsHour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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