Microsoft has revealed that British artificial intelligence pioneer Mustafa Suleyman will lead its newly formed division, Microsoft AI.
Mr. Suleyman currently heads start-up Inflection AI but is renowned for co-founding AI firm DeepMind, a leading UK-based company acquired by Google in 2014.
His transition to Microsoft further solidifies the company’s status as an artificial intelligence (AI) leader, contrasting with Google’s recent challenges in the field.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr. Suleyman expressed his enthusiasm for his new role, noting that he would bring several colleagues to Microsoft with him, including “friend and long-time collaborator” Karén Simonyan as chief scientist.
He stated his responsibility would encompass “leading all consumer AI products and research,” such as the Copilot chatbot, Bing, and Edge.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella lauded Mr. Suleyman as a “visionary, product maker, and builder of pioneering teams that pursue bold missions.”
“I am excited for them to contribute their knowledge, talent, and expertise to our consumer AI research and product development,” Nadella added.
Following his departure from Google in 2022, Mr. Suleyman co-founded Inflection AI, which has garnered attention in the generative AI sector after securing $1.3 billion from Microsoft and Nvidia last June.
His latest move to Microsoft underscores his esteemed position in the industry.
Microsoft has made substantial investments, including partnerships with chatGPT maker OpenAI and the recent acquisition of French tech startup Mistral AI.
The company affirmed its commitment to advancing AI infrastructure and supporting OpenAI’s “foundation model roadmap.”.
Meanwhile, Google faces challenges with its AI-powered tool, Gemini, encountering issues such as inaccuracies in historical image depictions.
Google acknowledged these shortcomings and apologized, stating its attempts at generating a “wide range” of results fell short of expectations.
Mustafa Suleyman’s appointment signals a significant advancement for Microsoft in the AI race, highlighting the company’s long-term investment strategy in the field.
His departure from Google, after launching his own company, marks a notable shift, potentially impacting Google’s standing in the competition.
While Google possesses substantial resources and capabilities, it has faced setbacks and PR challenges, leaving it sidelined in a race it once dominated. Collaboration rumors with Apple may offer a reprieve for Google’s AI brand, Gemini, but for now, Microsoft appears to be leading the charge.
