“AI won’t take away human thinking”: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on AGI

Satya Nadella

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently spoke about OpenAI, artificial intelligence, and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) in a chat with Dwarkesh Patel. During the interview, he stressed upon the fact that AI is not just about building powerful systems, those systems need to be useful too.

Patel pointed out that Microsoft backed OpenAI early, even before AI tools like Copilot became popular. He asked if companies should spend billions on AI, hoping for huge growth. Nadella agreed that AI needs investment but said it’s not just about more computing power. “It’s not just about building computers. It’s about making sure AI actually helps people,” he said.

He also talked about how AI infrastructure is growing fast—maybe even too fast. But he thinks that’s okay. “Everyone knows we need more energy and computing power. That’s why there’s a race,” he said. The good part? As more AI systems are built, their costs will go down.

On AGI—the idea that AI could someday do all human thinking—Nadella isn’t sure. He believes thinking jobs are always changing. “Some jobs may be done by AI, but new types of thinking jobs will always come up,” he explained. In short, AI won’t take over our brains—it will just shift what we focus on.

He also doesn’t think AI will replace human decision-making. “Why can’t we have strong AI while still making our own choices?” he asked.

Nadella sees AI as a helper, not a boss. He talked about Microsoft using AI in Teams meetings to keep people on track. He thinks something similar could help company boards. “An AI that keeps discussions focused—that would be great,” he said.

Looking forward, Nadella hopes AI and quantum computing will speed up science. “The Industrial Revolution took 250 years. We need to make big discoveries in just 25 years,” he said. He wants to create an AI that helps solve real-world problems.