Microsoft has made a major move in the world of artificial intelligence by hiring Mustafa Suleyman, a co-founder of Google’s DeepMind. According to Bloomberg, Suleyman will lead Microsoft’s consumer AI initiatives, bringing with him his expertise in machine learning and AI development.
DeepMind, which was founded by Suleyman, Demis Hassabis, and Shane Legg in 2010, was acquired by Google in 2014 and played a crucial role in Google’s AI efforts. Suleyman worked with DeepMind until 2019, then moved to Google as an AI product management lead before leaving to start his own startup, Inflection, in 2022.
Inflection focused on creating AI products with emotional intelligence, such as the Pi chatbot, and competed with OpenAI, one of Microsoft’s key partners in the AI space. With the hiring of Suleyman, Microsoft is also bringing on board a significant portion of Inflection’s staff, including co-founder Karén Simonyan.
The new group at Microsoft led by Suleyman will be dedicated to developing compelling and well-designed AI products for consumers, aiming to excel in this next wave of AI development. Microsoft will continue its partnership with OpenAI, with Suleyman focusing on turning existing AI models into actual products.
However, Microsoft faces tough competition in the AI space, particularly from Google’s recent advancements in AI for mobile devices and partnerships with companies like Apple. Despite this competition, Microsoft has made progress with the launch of GPT-4-based Copilot across various platforms and remains committed to innovating in response to the evolving AI landscape.
