Google DeepMind CEO: AI Could Facilitate Galactic Expansion Within Five Years

11 June 2025

In a bold statement, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind, claimed that advancements in artificial intelligence could enable humans to begin colonising the galaxy in just five years.

This announcement follows a trend among tech leaders who are pushing the boundaries of AI’s potential, merging scientific vision with ideas that sound straight out of science fiction.

These kinds of declarations inevitably stir discussions about the realistic timeline and potential impact of AI technologies, injecting both excitement and controversy into the tech sphere.

Google DeepMind, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has been at the forefront of AI research, making significant strides in areas like machine learning and neural networks.

Known for their development of AlphaGo, the first AI to defeat a world champion in the complex game of Go, the team has consistently pushed the envelope in AI capabilities. Hassabis’ latest assertion, while ambitious, reflects the company’s track record of pioneering developments in artificial intelligence.

Hassabis’ vision may seem audacious, but it echoes a long history of technological optimism tied to space exploration. In the 1960s, during the Apollo era, bold predictions about humans colonising Mars or building lunar cities were commonplace, fuelled by Cold War-era investment and rapid scientific progress.

However, those timelines proved overly ambitious as political will and economic constraints slowed progress. Today, AI introduces a new catalyst. With its potential to optimise mission planning, automate spacecraft systems and accelerate scientific modelling, AI could serve as the modern equivalent of the Saturn V – less visible, but just as transformative in enabling long-range space goals.

There is also a statistical reality underpinning the optimism. The space tech sector has seen a massive influx of investment, with the global space economy expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2040, according to Morgan Stanley. AI is playing a growing role in this expansion, from predictive maintenance of satellites to autonomous navigation for rovers and probes.

DeepMind’s own work in reinforcement learning and protein folding has already influenced fields such as drug discovery and materials science, both of which are crucial for sustaining life in space.

While colonising the galaxy within five years remains speculative, the integration of AI into aerospace research is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of humanity’s push beyond Earth.

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