Microsoft unveiled a significant organizational update aimed at driving innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Marking Year 2 of the AI platform shift, the company emphasizes the imperative to bolster capabilities for bold innovation in the rapidly evolving landscape.In a statement, Microsoft underscored the pivotal role of ongoing work and product innovation in shaping the future of the industry. The company’s commitment to delivering world-class AI products, such as Copilot, remains unwavering, with a keen focus on user satisfaction. The convergence of science, engineering, product, and design is emphasized as pivotal to advancing innovation culture and product development processes.
As part of this strategic shift, Mustafa Suleyman and Karén Simonyan have been appointed to lead a new organization, Microsoft AI, dedicated to advancing Copilot and other consumer AI products and research endeavors. Mustafa assumes the role of EVP and CEO, Microsoft AI, while Karén joins as Chief Scientist, reporting directly to Mustafa.
Mustafa, renowned for his leadership roles at DeepMind and Inflection, brings a wealth of experience as a visionary and pioneer in AI innovation. Karén, a Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Inflection, is recognized for spearheading significant AI breakthroughs over the past decade, including AlphaZero.
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The transition sees several members of the Inflection team joining Microsoft, comprising top-tier AI engineers, researchers, and builders who have been instrumental in advancing AI in recent years.
In alignment with its partnership-driven approach, Microsoft reaffirms its commitment to collaboration with OpenAI, leveraging strategic partnerships to drive AI innovation. The announcement further solidifies the partnership construct and principles guiding Microsoft’s AI initiatives.
Under the restructured setup, Mikhail Parakhin and his team, responsible for Copilot, Bing, and Edge, alongside Misha Bilenko and the GenAI team, will report to Mustafa. This realignment is expected to bolster innovation efforts, particularly amidst the evolving consumer product landscape driven by the AI platform shift.
Kevin Scott remains in his capacity as CTO and EVP of AI, overseeing overall AI strategy, system architecture decisions, partnerships, and cross-company coordination. Rajesh Jha continues as EVP of Experiences & Devices, playing a pivotal role in the development of Copilot for Microsoft 365, in close collaboration with Mustafa and his team.
Microsoft assures stakeholders that there will be no further changes to the senior leadership team or other organizational structures.
The infusion of new talent is expected to accelerate Microsoft‘s pace of innovation, presenting an opportunity to realize the vision of making AI benefits accessible to all, in a safe and responsible manner.
SOURCE: Microsoft