Demis Hassabis was born in London to a Greek Cypriot father and Singaporean Chinese mother. Even from a young age, he displayed exceptional intellectual capabilities, setting the stage for his future endeavors in AI and related fields.

Hassabis's early aptitude for chess became evident when he began playing at the age of four. His prodigious talent led him to achieve a master standard rating at the age of 13, demonstrating an exceptional understanding of strategic thinking and pattern recognition - skills that would later prove invaluable in his AI research.