I think part of the issue is that the results of DeepMind, while enormously impactful, do not have the sort of tangible quantity that the Manhattan Project or the Apollo Program did. It's easy for critics to dismiss them when the most relatable thing to the layperson is "This thing plays Go". It's a common lament in the scientific community, especially in the theoretical space. I don't see an easy answer for it, other than "Wait for it."
To me, the more apt comparison isn't say, DeepMind to the Manhattan Project, it's DeepMind to the early physics experiments, or Chicago Pile 1. You can imagine in the future, a letter being written much like Einstein's to FDR, pointing to an early and modest project saying "because of this, we can now create <X>".
(I'm ignoring the wartime necessities and issues surrounding that letter in this example as they're outside of the discussion.)
To me, the more apt comparison isn't say, DeepMind to the Manhattan Project, it's DeepMind to the early physics experiments, or Chicago Pile 1. You can imagine in the future, a letter being written much like Einstein's to FDR, pointing to an early and modest project saying "because of this, we can now create <X>".
(I'm ignoring the wartime necessities and issues surrounding that letter in this example as they're outside of the discussion.)