Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Telkom warns Icasa call rate cuts will punish smaller players

      13 June 2024

      MultiChoice will ride out Nigeria chaos

      13 June 2024

      Showmax reports R2.6-billion in trading losses

      13 June 2024

      Big section of 2Africa subsea cable is now live

      12 June 2024

      MultiChoice sheds 9% of its subscriber base in 12 months

      12 June 2024
    • World

      SpaceX sued by engineers fired after accusing Elon Musk of sexism

      13 June 2024

      Elon Musk withdraws lawsuit against OpenAI

      12 June 2024

      Investors cheer Apple AI strategy

      12 June 2024

      High-fidelity audio is finally coming to Spotify

      11 June 2024

      Musk threatens to ban Apple devices over OpenAI integration

      11 June 2024
    • In-depth

      It’s Jensen’s world now

      6 June 2024

      From Talkomatic to WhatsApp: the incredible history of instant messaging

      28 May 2024

      The 20 most influential tech products of all time

      22 May 2024

      Early signs that AI is fuelling a productivity boom

      21 May 2024

      GPT-4o is a stunning leap forward in AI

      18 May 2024
    • TCS

      TCS+ | Telco or ISP? Tired of load shedding chaos? This is for you

      13 June 2024

      TCS+ | Check Point dissects the complexities of cloud security

      11 June 2024

      TCS | MultiChoice declares war on piracy – the man leading the fight

      10 June 2024

      TCS+ | ESET’s Adrian Stanford: how AI will transform cybersecurity

      10 June 2024

      TCS+ | Pinnacle CEO on how AI is going to transform SA business

      6 June 2024
    • Opinion

      Lessons from healthcare for navigating South Africa’s energy crisis

      12 June 2024

      How to maximise solar panel performance in winter

      11 June 2024

      Corrupt municipalities crushing affordable connectivity in South Africa

      4 June 2024

      Post Office debacle shows ANC is out of ideas

      28 May 2024

      Should the SABC have discretion to reject a political ad?

      19 May 2024
    • Company Hubs
      • 4IRI
      • Africa Data Centres
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Systems Integration
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • CallMiner
      • Calybre
      • CoCre8
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • E4
      • Entelect
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • iKhokha
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LG Electronics
      • LSD Open
      • Maxtec
      • MiRO
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paratus
      • Ricoh
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Velocity Group
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » AI and machine learning » Microsoft CEO: AI is a tidal wave as big as the internet

    Microsoft CEO: AI is a tidal wave as big as the internet

    Satya Nadella said he believes AI will be as profound as the internet was to every part of Microsoft's business.
    By Emily Chang18 August 2023
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Microsoft CEO: AI is a tidal wave as big as the internet
    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

    In 1995, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sent a memo calling the internet a “tidal wave” that would be crucial to every part of the company’s business. Nearly two decades later, Microsoft’s current leader, Satya Nadella, said he believes the impact of artificial intelligence will be just as profound.

    “The Bill memo in 1995, it does feel like that to me,” Nadella said on The Circuit With Emily Chang, a podcast. “I think it’s as big.”

    Central to the latest attempt to transform Microsoft is OpenAI, a start-up whose generative AI technology has created so much buzz that it snagged a US$13-billion commitment from the software giant.

    The alliance has plenty of critics. The loudest is Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman

    “We have a great relationship,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on The Circuit. “These big, major partnerships between tech companies usually don’t work. This is an example of it working really well. We’re super grateful for it.”

    The alliance has plenty of critics. The loudest is Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman and then split from the company, citing disagreements over its direction and the addition of a for-profit arm. He has said OpenAI is now “effectively controlled by Microsoft”.

    In response to a question about Musk’s critiques and the prospect that Microsoft could acquire OpenAI, Altman said: “Company is not for sale. I don’t know how to be more clear than that.”

    Just as Netscape inspired Gates’s internet memo, the creation of OpenAI, and Microsoft’s support of it, was spurred in part by the threat of Google dominating AI. The architecture for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing chatbot, known as transformers, was invented by Google. Although Google remains competitive in AI, Microsoft and OpenAI are seen as the early leaders.

    Competitive AI

    Of course, after Gates’s edict, Microsoft’s web browser muscled Netscape out of the market and catalysed a crippling antitrust lawsuit from the US government. In AI, Altman said OpenAI’s position is far from assured. “This is not only a competitive environment, but I think this is probably the most competitive environment in tech right now,” he said.

    A Microsoft spokesman said the company welcomes a discussion with governments about ensuring competition in AI continues. In the interview, Nadella cautioned that the true impact of AI remains to be seen.

    Read: Google-backed OpenAI rival raises $100-million

    “We in the tech industry are classic experts at overhyping everything,” the Microsoft CEO said. “What motivates me is I want to use this technology to truly do what I think at least all of us are in tech for, which is democratising access to it.”  — (c) 2023 Bloomberg LP

    Get TechCentral’s daily newsletter

    Elon Musk Google Microsoft OpenAI Sam Altman Satya Nadella
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleDigitizing Africa 2023 features over 50 local and international speakers
    Next Article Microsoft to shut Xbox 360 online store

    Related Posts

    Telkom warns Icasa call rate cuts will punish smaller players

    13 June 2024

    MultiChoice will ride out Nigeria chaos

    13 June 2024

    TCS+ | Telco or ISP? Tired of load shedding chaos? This is for you

    13 June 2024
    Company News

    How to harness customer insights in the age of information overload

    13 June 2024

    How LayUp is advancing lay-by payments in Africa

    12 June 2024

    Recapping an extraordinary month at Next DLP

    12 June 2024
    Opinion

    Lessons from healthcare for navigating South Africa’s energy crisis

    12 June 2024

    How to maximise solar panel performance in winter

    11 June 2024

    Corrupt municipalities crushing affordable connectivity in South Africa

    4 June 2024

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2024 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.