Microsoft Appoints Co-Founder of DeepMind to Head New AI Division

Microsoft has enlisted the expertise of Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, to lead its newly established consumer AI division, overseeing products such as Copilot, Bing, and Edge. Suleyman, along with key personnel from his startup Inflection AI, including Karen Simonyan as chief scientist, will steer this venture. As CEO of Microsoft AI, Suleyman will report directly to Satya Nadella, the company’s CEO, with Nadella expressing optimism about the accelerated progress this infusion of talent will bring.

Suleyman’s journey in the AI domain includes co-founding DeepMind in 2010, later acquired by Google in 2014. Following a merger with Google Brain in 2023, Suleyman moved on to found Inflection AI after a stint at Google. Notably, Inflection AI, supported by Microsoft and Nvidia, developed Pi, a conversational AI chatbot. Amidst plans to license its technology to Microsoft and pivot towards serving enterprise clients, the consolidation within Microsoft reflects its commitment to maintaining a competitive edge against Google, which is reportedly exploring integration of its Gemini AI model into Apple’s iPhone.

Nadella praised Suleyman’s track record as a visionary leader and emphasized Microsoft’s dedication to harness AI for global benefit while ensuring safety and responsibility.