To solidify its position in the competitive AI space, Microsoft has appointed Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Google DeepMind, as the CEO of its newly established consumer AI unit. This decision comes alongside the recruitment of several employees from Suleyman’s Inflection AI startup.
Mustafa Suleyman is a prominent figure in promoting ethical AI practices and encourages companies to develop AI technologies responsibly. With him joining Microsoft, there’s potential for the introduction of safe and beneficial AI functionalities. This could include enhancements to Copilot on Windows, offering users a more personalized and immersive experience.
Suleyman will lead the new Microsoft AI division, which brings together the company’s AI projects aimed at consumers. This includes creations like the AI-powered and Copilot chatbot features in the Bing browser.
The Copilot, powered by ChatGPT by OpenAI, stands as a cornerstone of Microsoft’s revenue-generating AI initiatives. It offers various functionalities such as presentation creation, document summarisation, and email drafting.
Microsoft has already announced two of its upcoming events, held on 21st March and 20th May. Anticipations are high for the release of the next version of Copilot, along with new Surface devices featuring the Snapdragon X Elite chipset.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft expressed enthusiasm about the infusion of talent, stating that the addition of fresh talent will help them speed up once more. He also mentioned that Mikhail Parakhin’s team, responsible for Edge, Bing, and Copilot, along with Misha Bilenko’s GenAI team, will now report to Suleyman.
I’m excited to announce that today I’m joining @Microsoft as CEO of Microsoft AI. I’ll be leading all consumer AI products and research, including Copilot, Bing and Edge. My friend and longtime collaborator Karén Simonyan will be Chief Scientist, and several of our amazing…
— Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) March 19, 2024
This strategic move coincides with Microsoft’s commitment to its partnership with OpenAI, emphasized by Nadella during the announcement.
Joining Suleyman in pivotal roles are Reid Hoffman, a board member at Microsoft, and Karen Simonyan, co-founder of Inflection AI.
Meanwhile, Alphabet’s Google is expanding its AI initiatives, as reports emerge of talks between Google and Apple regarding the integration of Google’s Gemini AI engine into iPhones.
Inflection AI, following a major funding round of $1.3 billion from Nvidia and Microsoft, has become a prominent contender in the AI landscape. The startup, which boasts the chatbot Pi among its achievements, announced Sean White as its new CEO. He was previously the head of research and development at Mozilla.
Additionally, the company revealed plans to move towards catering to commercial clients, shifting away from its consumer-centric focus.
As tech giants like Google and Microsoft intensify their AI efforts, tech enthusiasts can expect the AI space to evolve rapidly, driving innovation and reshaping consumer experiences across various domains.
