The Thinking Game is based on one of the most consequential scientific and technological pursuits in human history: the race to develop an artificial general intelligence (AGI). The documentary situates itself around a pivotal moment in this trajectory—the 2016 DeepMind Challenge Match, when its AlphaGo defeated world Go champion Lee Sedol (9 dan rank). In this historic contest, AlphaGo won four of the five games and the match, declaring the arrival of powerful artificial intelligence. The match is frequently compared to IBM Deep Blue’s defeat of Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997.
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Greg Kohs, the 83-minute documentary follows the life and work of DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis over five years, exploring the rise of one of the world’s leading AI laboratories. Filmed in a cinema-verité style, it traces Hassabis’s journey from childhood chess prodigy and video game designer to cognitive neuroscientist and AI pioneer. The film moves through his PhD in cognitive neuroscience and landmark achievements such as AlphaFold, which solved a 50-year challenge in protein structure prediction—a breakthrough that contributed to his Nobel Prize in 2024. Through interviews, archival footage, and behind-the-scenes access, Kohs captures the tensions, setbacks, and breakthroughs that marked DeepMind’s path, particularly in the lead-up to AlphaGo’s historic matches.
Premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and later becoming the official selection for the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), The Thinking Game attracted wide attention for its nuanced exploration of AI beyond machines and code. As we begin to navigate the AI era, it is a must-watch for its ability to blend technological developments with intimate human storytelling, reflecting on what it means to think and create in an age where machines not only mirror but increasingly challenge the human mind.