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'The Thinking Game', a documentary that sheds light on how Artificial Intelligence is built
When we talk about Artificial Intelligence, we tend to focus on the visible outcomes: increasingly accurate models, faster systems, and applications expanding into every area. But understanding how these advances are built is just as important as looking at their final impact.
Google DeepMind’s documentary The Thinking Game (available online) starts precisely there, offering a complementary perspective by shifting the focus to the research and development process; to the decisions, methods, and hypotheses that make AI progress possible. It’s a timely approach, now that AI has moved beyond being a lab experiment and is increasingly embedded in scientific, business, and production environments, as well as personal and social contexts.
Understanding the inner workings of AI helps provide context for what it can, and still can’t, do.
From narrow challenges to high-impact science
The documentary follows the DeepMind team (both before and after its acquisition by Google) over several years during a key stage in its evolution, marked by milestones such as AlphaGo, which showcased the potential of AI in well-defined problems, and by the shift toward complex scientific challenges.
One of the standout moments is AlphaFold, the machine learning system capable of accurately predicting the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Beyond its technical achievement, AlphaFold marks a significant turning point: the application of AI to open-ended problems, with a direct impact in fields like structural biology and the life sciences.
The documentary uses this case to show how AI research can create real-world value when applied to relevant challenges with tangible consequences.
How advanced AI is developed in practice
One of the most compelling aspects of The Thinking Game is how it portrays the daily work of research teams. The film presents a process of constant iteration, rigorous result validation, and a balance between scientific intuition and mathematical formalisation, far from the usual tales of instant success.
Here, AI is shown as a cumulative discipline, almost artisanal, where progress is built step by step and in a collective effort. This perspective breaks down the notion of overnight breakthroughs and reminds us that the most sophisticated systems are the result of long cycles of experimentation, fine-tuning, and learning.
Multidisciplinarity as a driver of innovation
Demis Hassabis, founder and CEO of DeepMind, serves as a guiding voice throughout the story. His background, at the intersection of gaming, neuroscience, and computing, illustrates a trend in the development of modern AI: the convergence of disciplines.
The documentary shows that meaningful breakthroughs don’t emerge from isolated silos, but from ecosystems where diverse profiles and complementary approaches coexist. This combination of expertise is key to tackling complex problems that can’t be solved from a single technical or scientific lens.
AI as an enabler, not a replacement
Another central message of the documentary is the link between technical breakthroughs and their practical use. AlphaFold is presented as a tool that enhances researchers’ capabilities, speeds up processes, and opens new lines of inquiry, but it doesn’t replace either expert judgement or the scientific context. AI adds value; it doesn’t replace.
This vision of AI as an enabler is especially relevant in business and production environments. There, the value of technology depends on how well it integrates with human expertise, existing processes, and strategic goals. Without that alignment, technology falls short.
AI delivers measurable, sustainable value when integrated with human judgement, processes, and business strategy.
A lens for understanding today’s AI
The Thinking Game doesn’t claim to offer definitive answers about the future of AI. And that, in many ways, is its greatest strength. Its main contribution is to place its development in the present, showing that behind every advance lie complex processes, diverse teams, and strategic decisions.
In doing so, the documentary offers a realistic and constructive perspective for those working in technology, innovation, or digital transformation. It’s an invitation to see AI as a continuous process that requires a blend of technological ambition, scientific rigour, and practical usefulness to become an enabler capable of generating measurable, sustainable value aligned with business strategy.
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