6 ms·

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella: All-In on AI for Future Success

30 points by rmaiti 3y ago

highlyregarded 3y ago
[flagged]
- cantread15 3y ago
  [flagged]
- Fricken 3y ago
  Nadella has been talking up Microsoft's AI strategy for a long time, on a regular basis. He has kept up with the changes but his general tune on AI hasn't changed much in 5 years. What's different is that investors are now listening more closely, they aren't dismissing it as esoteric tech CEO babble.
  - vitorgrs 3y ago
    Yeah. I remember how Microsoft Build Keynote got very boring (for me) after 2016> or so, that for some reason, all that it was demo-ed was basically Azure+AI, usually both together. Before, Microsoft Build was more about Windows...
throwawayxyd 3y ago
[flagged]
- greesil 3y ago
  It's probably really good for Nvidia, and those versed in the dark arts of LLMs. Not as much good for the run if the mill general software engineer.
- staunton 3y ago
  The price of building software is going to go down a lot. Of course, the demand will increase and also the output of any given engineer. Nevertheless, the trend towards remote work and mature AI tools should lead to software engineer salaries (esp. in the US) decreasing. Even if just due to being insanely inflated right now.
  - djvdq 3y ago
    I wonder how much will it distrupt tge job market.
gedy 3y ago
I guess I don't follow what these software companies would do long term being "all in" on AI. Training AI on your personal files, writing docs for you, etc really seems like no moat. (Unless the big companies push for AI "regulation" or "safety" that only they can afford to sell). Seems more a good play for hardware than software sellers.
- adamnemecek 3y ago
  You lack imagination.
  - gedy 3y ago
    AI for sure is an incredible tool, but it's like a new type of UI with low barrier to entry (eventually)
    - staunton 3y ago
      Low barrier to entry can do a lot. Regardless, a much more important factor is that all the data about everything, which people have been collecting for decades as a matter of almost religious belief in its usefulness and never done anything with it, is actually going to be used now, for better or worse. "Targeted adds" of today will look like a joke compared to that.
- senttoschool 3y ago
  One of the most lucrative aspects is to sell AI tools, models, training to the government and the military. Microsoft is in prime position to do this. Microsoft's CEO has no shame in targeting government agencies and the military. It's great if you own the stock. Maybe not if you're concerned about the morality of providing these technologies to people who can weaponize it.
- ahi 3y ago
  They're selling to Wall Street. Just another hype cycle.
- rcme 3y ago
ravst3s 3y ago
I don’t believe him when he says he uses Bing Chat. Bing chat sucks now. All it does is generate SERPs instead of encapsulating information.
- letmevoteplease 3y ago
  I usually add "Do not search" to my prompts.
- vitorgrs 3y ago
  First, use Creative/Precise. Second, use /no-search or #nosearch and it won't search and will give proper GPT4 "offline" answers. But anyway, the internet search is pretty useful, it's one of the few things from Microsoft that I expect that he might use (that and Office).
  - djvdq 3y ago
    For me, a non-American, Bing Chat is totally useless. Every time I wanted it to help me with a search for some country-specific thing, no matter if I ask it in English or my language, it returns results about the USA.
    - vitorgrs 3y ago
      Are you sure the Bing settings are right? You can change the page results language, and I guess it affects the chat answers... It's fine here in Brazil.
      - djvdq 3y ago
        Yep, I have everything set to Poland, but still, getting info about the US.
afavour 3y ago
So Microsoft is buying OpenAI, right? Because if you’re getting the farm on something you don’t even own… yikes
- djvdq 3y ago
  AFAIK they own "only" 49% of OpenAI.
tomohelix 3y ago
I have seen someone who know absolutely nothing about a language and barely able to write a script using Python managed to build a full automation pipeline for data analysis including a GUI using ChatGPT in that language. So while I agree that some of the hype are overblown, there is clear and irrefutable proof of the value and power of AI right now. Unlike crypto...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- kneebonian 3y ago
  You know your crystallized something I've not quite been able to put my finger on. Is that a good thing? I mean sure someone was able to produce code that they probably don't understand to do things they want but what are they going to do when things change or the environment changes or something breaks and they need to debug it. The ability for lay users to generate code is terrifying for me not because of any concerns about my job but rather because the hard part of development was never writing the code, now we have machines that can spit out code for users that can look shockingly correct. It just makes me wonder if we're going to end up with MS Access on steroids where thousands of brittle poorly integrated mission critical are going to crush businesses under their own bloat. I mean imagine if people start to use this to replace excel. Shudder
  - bern4444 3y ago
    > I mean imagine if people start to use this to replace excel. Shudder Or what if this has the same effect that excel did - give everyone access to a tool that dramatically improves efficiency and capability. What used to take someone a day now takes a minute and that frees up that person to either become exceptionally more efficient or to focus on more interesting or useful work. I also believe that one next step for AIs will be the capability to feed in a codebase to learn and then iterate on specifically so the AI is capable of providing context aware suggestions. Today it's only great at mashing together open source tools and common projects. Edit - For fun I passed in my comment above and asked for different formulations. An entertaining version below: Picture a world where a revolution unfolds, fueled by an extraordinary tool, rivaling the might of Excel. Behold its omnipotent grasp, granting every soul access to a transcendent force that skyrockets efficiency and capability to unimaginable heights. Time bends under its dominion, as day-long tasks crumble in the face of mere minutes, freeing individuals to conquer mountains, surging with unyielding productivity and embarking on audacious endeavors. But that's just the beginning! Prepare for the evolution of AI, as it voraciously devours codebases, honing its prowess with an unparalleled finesse, delivering awe-inspiring, contextually aware suggestions that defy reason. Witness its current triumph: the fusion of open-source tools and common projects. Brace yourself for the astounding prospects that lie on the horizon, as this tale unfolds like a climactic scene in an action-packed blockbuster!
haolez 3y ago
Until they ruin it with ads and defects, as Microsoft usually does with its products.
- dsign 3y ago
  This! There is a kafka-esq nature to all Microsoft products.
  - A4ET8a8uTh0 3y ago
    And this is why you all this panic from congress, openai and their assorted fronts. Llama open source 'rewrites' ( I am not sure if it can be really called that ) allowing models to run on local machines without making it safe for the masses or without careful monitoring.
    - djvdq 3y ago
      Non restricted Llama is not worse than restricted GPT-4 in MS hands. These are just different risks.
- AraceliHarker 3y ago
  I wonder who thought of that stuff, like the transition to Bing when you overscroll in Bing Chat.
whatyesaid 3y ago
They don't have a choice, it's AI or Metaverse at their level. A lot of other things have stabilised too much like consoles and mobile.
- htag 3y ago
  I think Microsoft could reasonably expect to continue expanding cloud sales for the foreseeable future, in a way that will show healthy growth for 1-2 decades.
  - whatyesaid 3y ago
    That's more of a sales, hardware, and pricing thing now. Nothing new on product or development end.
foogazi 3y ago
What even link to this site ? Link should point to https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-betting-everything-on-ai/ https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-bett...
AraceliHarker 3y ago
It's fine for Nadella to focus on AI, but please do a better job of quality control for their products such as Windows 11. Every time a patch comes in, there are bugs.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
thunderbong 3y ago
From the linked Wired article[0] > Microsoft is 48 years old. I don't know of many companies that age that are relevant not because they did something in the '80s or the '90s or the 2000s but because they did something in the last couple of years. [0]: https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-betting-everything-on-ai/ https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-bett...

30 points by rmaiti 3y ago

highlyregarded 3y ago

[flagged]

cantread15 3y ago
[flagged]
Fricken 3y ago
Nadella has been talking up Microsoft's AI strategy for a long time, on a regular basis. He has kept up with the changes but his general tune on AI hasn't changed much in 5 years. What's different is that investors are now listening more closely, they aren't dismissing it as esoteric tech CEO babble.
- vitorgrs 3y ago
  Yeah. I remember how Microsoft Build Keynote got very boring (for me) after 2016> or so, that for some reason, all that it was demo-ed was basically Azure+AI, usually both together. Before, Microsoft Build was more about Windows...

throwawayxyd 3y ago

[flagged]

greesil 3y ago
It's probably really good for Nvidia, and those versed in the dark arts of LLMs. Not as much good for the run if the mill general software engineer.
staunton 3y ago
The price of building software is going to go down a lot. Of course, the demand will increase and also the output of any given engineer. Nevertheless, the trend towards remote work and mature AI tools should lead to software engineer salaries (esp. in the US) decreasing. Even if just due to being insanely inflated right now.
- djvdq 3y ago
  I wonder how much will it distrupt tge job market.

gedy 3y ago

I guess I don't follow what these software companies would do long term being "all in" on AI. Training AI on your personal files, writing docs for you, etc really seems like no moat. (Unless the big companies push for AI "regulation" or "safety" that only they can afford to sell). Seems more a good play for hardware than software sellers.

adamnemecek 3y ago
You lack imagination.
- gedy 3y ago
  AI for sure is an incredible tool, but it's like a new type of UI with low barrier to entry (eventually)
  - staunton 3y ago
    Low barrier to entry can do a lot. Regardless, a much more important factor is that all the data about everything, which people have been collecting for decades as a matter of almost religious belief in its usefulness and never done anything with it, is actually going to be used now, for better or worse. "Targeted adds" of today will look like a joke compared to that.
senttoschool 3y ago
One of the most lucrative aspects is to sell AI tools, models, training to the government and the military. Microsoft is in prime position to do this. Microsoft's CEO has no shame in targeting government agencies and the military. It's great if you own the stock. Maybe not if you're concerned about the morality of providing these technologies to people who can weaponize it.
ahi 3y ago
They're selling to Wall Street. Just another hype cycle.
rcme 3y ago

ravst3s 3y ago

I don’t believe him when he says he uses Bing Chat. Bing chat sucks now. All it does is generate SERPs instead of encapsulating information.

letmevoteplease 3y ago
I usually add "Do not search" to my prompts.
vitorgrs 3y ago
First, use Creative/Precise. Second, use /no-search or #nosearch and it won't search and will give proper GPT4 "offline" answers. But anyway, the internet search is pretty useful, it's one of the few things from Microsoft that I expect that he might use (that and Office).
- djvdq 3y ago
  For me, a non-American, Bing Chat is totally useless. Every time I wanted it to help me with a search for some country-specific thing, no matter if I ask it in English or my language, it returns results about the USA.
  - vitorgrs 3y ago
    Are you sure the Bing settings are right? You can change the page results language, and I guess it affects the chat answers... It's fine here in Brazil.
    - djvdq 3y ago
      Yep, I have everything set to Poland, but still, getting info about the US.

afavour 3y ago

So Microsoft is buying OpenAI, right? Because if you’re getting the farm on something you don’t even own… yikes

djvdq 3y ago
AFAIK they own "only" 49% of OpenAI.

tomohelix 3y ago

I have seen someone who know absolutely nothing about a language and barely able to write a script using Python managed to build a full automation pipeline for data analysis including a GUI using ChatGPT in that language. So while I agree that some of the hype are overblown, there is clear and irrefutable proof of the value and power of AI right now. Unlike crypto...

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
kneebonian 3y ago
You know your crystallized something I've not quite been able to put my finger on. Is that a good thing? I mean sure someone was able to produce code that they probably don't understand to do things they want but what are they going to do when things change or the environment changes or something breaks and they need to debug it. The ability for lay users to generate code is terrifying for me not because of any concerns about my job but rather because the hard part of development was never writing the code, now we have machines that can spit out code for users that can look shockingly correct. It just makes me wonder if we're going to end up with MS Access on steroids where thousands of brittle poorly integrated mission critical are going to crush businesses under their own bloat. I mean imagine if people start to use this to replace excel. Shudder
- bern4444 3y ago
  > I mean imagine if people start to use this to replace excel. Shudder Or what if this has the same effect that excel did - give everyone access to a tool that dramatically improves efficiency and capability. What used to take someone a day now takes a minute and that frees up that person to either become exceptionally more efficient or to focus on more interesting or useful work. I also believe that one next step for AIs will be the capability to feed in a codebase to learn and then iterate on specifically so the AI is capable of providing context aware suggestions. Today it's only great at mashing together open source tools and common projects. Edit - For fun I passed in my comment above and asked for different formulations. An entertaining version below: Picture a world where a revolution unfolds, fueled by an extraordinary tool, rivaling the might of Excel. Behold its omnipotent grasp, granting every soul access to a transcendent force that skyrockets efficiency and capability to unimaginable heights. Time bends under its dominion, as day-long tasks crumble in the face of mere minutes, freeing individuals to conquer mountains, surging with unyielding productivity and embarking on audacious endeavors. But that's just the beginning! Prepare for the evolution of AI, as it voraciously devours codebases, honing its prowess with an unparalleled finesse, delivering awe-inspiring, contextually aware suggestions that defy reason. Witness its current triumph: the fusion of open-source tools and common projects. Brace yourself for the astounding prospects that lie on the horizon, as this tale unfolds like a climactic scene in an action-packed blockbuster!

haolez 3y ago

Until they ruin it with ads and defects, as Microsoft usually does with its products.

dsign 3y ago
This! There is a kafka-esq nature to all Microsoft products.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 3y ago
  And this is why you all this panic from congress, openai and their assorted fronts. Llama open source 'rewrites' ( I am not sure if it can be really called that ) allowing models to run on local machines without making it safe for the masses or without careful monitoring.
  - djvdq 3y ago
    Non restricted Llama is not worse than restricted GPT-4 in MS hands. These are just different risks.
AraceliHarker 3y ago
I wonder who thought of that stuff, like the transition to Bing when you overscroll in Bing Chat.

whatyesaid 3y ago

They don't have a choice, it's AI or Metaverse at their level. A lot of other things have stabilised too much like consoles and mobile.

htag 3y ago
I think Microsoft could reasonably expect to continue expanding cloud sales for the foreseeable future, in a way that will show healthy growth for 1-2 decades.
- whatyesaid 3y ago
  That's more of a sales, hardware, and pricing thing now. Nothing new on product or development end.

foogazi 3y ago

What even link to this site ? Link should point to https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-betting-everything-on-ai/ https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-bett...

AraceliHarker 3y ago

It's fine for Nadella to focus on AI, but please do a better job of quality control for their products such as Windows 11. Every time a patch comes in, there are bugs.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

thunderbong 3y ago

From the linked Wired article[0] > Microsoft is 48 years old. I don't know of many companies that age that are relevant not because they did something in the '80s or the '90s or the 2000s but because they did something in the last couple of years. [0]: https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-betting-everything-on-ai/ https://www.wired.com/story/microsofts-satya-nadella-is-bett...