'This is the beginning of a...' Microsoft AI CEO on why he is optimistic about the future of AI companions

Mustafa Suleyman

In the last two years or so, generative AI chatbots or companions have made their presence felt. Yet, there is skepticism around them, about their authenticity, how they would make people dumber and more. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has penned an open letter on why he is optimistic about the company’s AI companion — Copilot. "This is the beginning of a fundamental shift in what’s possible for all of us. It’s a long journey that will take years," he noted.

Suleyman said that technology is, and must always remain, in service to humanity — “an enabler and a path to deepening our common bonds and shared understanding, our energy and imagination, our creativity and our capacity for everything from invention to forming relationships.”

He said that when it comes to AI people often get caught in the technical nitty-gritties. “I think it’s important that in doing all of this, getting stuck right in the technical weeds, we don’t lose sight of not only what we are building, but why we are building it,” he said.

“Great technology experiences are about how you feel, not what’s under the hood. It should be about what you experience, not what we are building,” Suleyman added.

The Microsoft AI CEO further said that the company isn’t creating a static tool so much as establishing a dynamic, emergent and evolving interaction. “It will provide you with unwavering support to help you show up the way you really want in your everyday life, a new means of facilitating human connections and accomplishments alike,” he said.

He also addressed the concerns about AI diminishing humans. “My life’s work has been to ensure it does precisely the opposite. We choose what we create. This is something we must do together. Our task is to ensure AI always enriches people’s lives and strengthens our bonds with others, while supporting our uniqueness and endlessly complex humanity,” said Suleyman.