Educational Media Reviews Online

The Thinking Game is an engaging fast paced history of DeepMind and its founder Demis Hassabis. The film walks the viewer through the history of AGI and AI through the lens of a single company weaving through their accomplishments, like beating a top Go player, all while telling the life story of the company’s founder, Demis Hassabis. The film primarily focuses on the company’s accomplishments but does include a section addressing the fears and potential harm this technology can cause while providing some solutions to avoid that harm. The depth of this film is targeted towards people less familiar with the field and would not be appropriate for someone interested in the details of building and deploying AI models. The film was created over five years, but it incorporates footage going back to the creation of the company and moments throughout Demis Hassabis' life showing clear forethought and understanding of the importance of this company's work.

This film would be an excellent resource for classes to learn that AI and AGI did not start with ChatGPT and that it has already significantly impacted technology and scientific study, like protein folding, ultimately leading to a Nobel Prize. Students could go on to explore AlphaFold and see how opening this resource to the public has impacted scientific research and what advancements have been made as a result.

I would rate The Thinking Game as highly recommended for its quick, easy to follow storyline, engagement, and educational benefits.

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