Microsoft's new consumer AI unit to enhance user experience in Copilot, Bing and Edge
Called Microsoft AI, it will focus on the company’s AI consumer products and research.
Microsoft is pulling out all the stops on its AI endeavours as it assembles a dream team for its newly formed consumer unit called Microsoft AI, which would focus on the company’s AI consumer products and research.
As part of this dream team, Microsoft has poached British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Inflection AI and DeepMind AI to lead the organization as CEO. Joining Suleyman is Karén Simonyan, also from Inflection AI, who assumes the role of chief scientist along with a team of top-tier talents.
Interestingly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's keen eye for talent had led him to previously extend offers to OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, following a board drama at the startup last December. Altman and Brockman have since regained their offices at OpenAI.
It is the latest move by Microsoft to capitalize on the boom in generative AI. In Nadella's own words,
"This infusion of new talent will enable us to accelerate our pace yet again."
For a while now, the software technology company has had its fingers on the pulse of the AI revolution thanks to its multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, ChatGPT creator.
Acquah Nana Yeboah
The strategic investment right on the cusp of an AI boom had allowed it to integrate OpenAI's generative AI technology early into its flagship products, including Windows, Office software, and Cloud tools, leaving its arch-rival, Google scrambling to keep pace in the landscape. It had also recently enjoyed an unprecedented boom in valuation toppling Apple as the most valuable tech company at an over $3 trillion valuation.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
Meanwhile, the new consumer AI division will consolidate Microsoft's efforts in AI, allowing it to enhance user experiences across its consumer offerings, including the Copilot chatbot, Bing Search and the Edge browser.
This new development follows Microsoft's recent investment in another AI startup Mistral underscoring the company's aggressive pursuit of dominance in the AI space.
