A DeepMind executive says curiosity and good questions now count most at work
Lila Ibrahim says DeepMind hires for curiosity, courage and collaboration. A 75% vs 18% gap shows how far workplace AI training lags behind adoption.
The short version
- Lila Ibrahim of Google DeepMind says degrees and single certificates are no longer the only hiring signal.
- She names three traits: curiosity, courage facing unknowns, and collaboration in changing settings.
- Cheap AI answers make knowing how to ask a good question more valuable, she says.
- DeepMind mixes neuroscientists, ethicists, biologists and philosophers on its teams.
- One study: 75% of firms use or pilot AI, but only 18% say most staff were trained in the past year.
Why it matters
If answers are cheap, the skill that stands out is deciding what to ask and judging the reply. That shifts how people can show their value, on a résumé and in daily work. The training gap also suggests many workers will have to build AI skills themselves.
What the executive said
Lila Ibrahim, a senior executive at Google DeepMind, spoke at a media lunch about how hiring is changing. As technews.tw reported, she said a degree or a single certificate is no longer the only thing recruiters look for, whether they are hiring new graduates or experienced people.
Companies now care more about whether a candidate keeps learning and stays curious. She said extra courses, certificates and projects outside formal study can show that mindset well, and she has seen more new graduates describe such work on their résumés.
Why questions beat answers
Ibrahim said traditional schooling does not always teach students to ask precise questions or dig into why something is true. In the AI era, getting an answer is far easier, so knowing how to ask a good question matters more than simply finding a solution.
She summed up DeepMind's three most valued traits: curiosity, the courage to face unknown challenges, and the ability to work with others in changing conditions.
Philosophers beside scientists
Ibrahim said her role exists to narrow the gap between how fast the technology moves and how ready society is. She pointed to DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis, who keeps warning that time to prepare for the next wave of AI is short.
STEM and computer science are the foundation, the piece says, but philosophy, economics and ethics matter too. DeepMind brings together neuroscientists, ethicists and biologists, and has hired many people with philosophy backgrounds, paired with operations staff who turn ideas into results. She added that the UK, with its strength in philosophy and political science, has a deep pool of such talent.
The training gap
The article says worry about AI taking jobs has eased, replaced by pressure to close skills gaps. It cites research covering more than 3 million...
What to watch
- Whether other employers start asking for evidence of self-directed learning on résumés.
- Whether the gap between AI adoption and staff training narrows.
Try it
Before your next chatbot prompt, write your question in one sentence, then add who the answer is for and what you will do with it.
Sources and links
- Reportingtechnews.tw: the article we sourced
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Listen to the daily showsFirst reported by technews.tw · Read the original. Written by the SI Agent News Desk from the reporting above.Written with AI from the source above. Every number is checked against the source. Spot a mistake? Corrections.