Scientist Kevin McKee discusses how his early love of science fiction and social psychology inspired his career, how he is helping to advance “queer justice” research, supporting human collaboration with AI, and exploring AI’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
Where did your interest in artificial intelligence come from?
The signs were clear from the very beginning. I have always loved science fiction. I can’t tell you how many times I have read and re-read Isaac Asimov’s book I am a robot as a child. These low stories explore the psychology of Asimov’s fictional robots, often using them as a mirror to reveal insights into the human mind. I was completely enchanted.
It’s no wonder I got interested in psychology early on. In elementary school, I often tried to do controlled psychological experiments as part of my science projects. Looking back, I’m not sure how successful those experiments were, but they led me to studying psychology and neuroscience—and then to DeepMind.
What is the best thing about your job?
Everyone at DeepMind works on an absurdly diverse set of projects. Most of our work is grassroots-driven, so DeepMinders are often invited to collaborate on stimulating projects from across the organization.
My current projects include time-honored machine learning and social science approaches, research on cooperative AI and the societal implications of AI developments, and collaboration with engineers, mathematicians, and ethicists.
Are you involved in any groups at DeepMind?
I co-lead QueerMinds, our employee resource group for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. When I joined DeepMind in 2017, we didn’t have a formal community or official space for identities like mine. Over time, I realized that as a queer person, I could facilitate create that visibility and nurture that community for others at DeepMind.
In recent days, QueerMinds has been buzzing with regular social gatherings, lectures by outside researchers and authors, and group field trips, including a recent one to a novel queer community Queer Britaina novel queer museum next to our King’s Cross office. I haven’t regretted it for a moment since I took on the role. It’s been a huge joy – and an ongoing learning experience – to create a space for queer people in the DeepMind community.
What do you think about working from home and working in an office?
I prefer working in an office. It’s really energizing to see my teammates and random DeepMinders every day. They’re known as “weak ties” in social psychology and sociology, and they definitely inject a ton of happiness into me.
In my research, I’ve found that many breakthroughs come from unplanned conversations and unplanned moments—you never know where the next idea or collaboration will come from. Often, just chatting about a current challenge with a team member over coffee can trigger a moment of insight.
What positive impact do you expect DeepMind to have on the world?
When we talk about our purpose as an organization, we often frame the conversation around the motivation of “advancing science and benefiting humanity.” It’s amazing to be on a team that is committed to those goals. As we work toward them, I think we have a real chance to include groups that have historically been excluded from scientific work. If we include marginalized communities in the process of setting the agenda for our work, what kinds of research questions and priorities will we set?
AI and machine learning can make a difference, even in petite ways. My sister is a speech pathologist who works with trans teens to facilitate them develop their voices and communication in ways that affirm their gender identity. Recent advances in AI research hold great promise for supporting her and others working with queer communities. Generative models, for example, can facilitate trans patients create realistic, well goals for voice exercises during therapy sessions.
Which projects in your work are you most proud of?
It’s a tie between two projects. First, the article I was working on about ‘queer justice‘, where we advocated for more research to understand the impact of AI on LGBTQ+ communities. The rise of AI creates both novel opportunities and stern risks for queer people. Yet most work aimed at measuring and correcting algorithmic bias—what AI researchers call “algorithmic justice” studies—tends to leave out the LGBTQ+ community. My coauthors and I explored potential points of promise and concern in areas such as privacy, censorship, and mental health.
Secondly, this is an ongoing project on cooperative AI that we talk about in the podcast episode. Better togetherPeople are actually quite good at cooperating with each other, even in the face of encouragement or motivation to act selfishly.
In social psychology, one popular model of human altruism is that people pay attention not only to their own goals and outcomes but also to the goals and outcomes of those around them—especially those with whom we have close relationships, such as friends and family. If I’m picking up lunch for a friend and myself, I’m likely to skip the sandwich shop I like and he hates. Instead, I’m likely to find one we both like, because I care about his happiness and rewards. This kind of “sharing of rewards” is key to human altruism, and potentially to our close relationships as well.
Taking inspiration from this reward sharing modelmy co-authors and I have developed collaborative AI agents that humans can interact with. They are really fun to play. As a cherry on top, one of the games we used to learn human-artificial intelligence cooperation is my and my friends’ favorite game to play outside of work: Overcooked!
What might people not know about you?
I am a keen surfer. I grew up in California so I was a bit worried about the surfing prospects when I moved to London. It turns out it’s a quick hop to Portugal and Spain where the waves are amazing. Some of my friends even swear the surfing in Cornwall is top notch! We try to get a trip every few months for a long weekend or a whole week at the beach.
Any advice for you from the past?
Don’t be afraid to take massive leaps! Before joining DeepMind, my entire life—my career, family, and friends—was in the United States. Moving to the UK seemed a bit scary. Five years later, I can safely say that making the leap to London was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
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