Microsoft's superintelligence plan puts people first

"Pundits use the term to describe systems that appear to "think" independently of what humans program them to do, an ability that some previously described as "artificial general intelligence," or AGI. Suleyman announced he's heading up a new AI Superintelligence Team at Microsoft in a blog post Thursday. The key difference in Microsoft's vision, Suleyman said, is the vision of a humanist superintelligence, or HSI, that trades blind AI ambition for carefully planned limitations to make sure AI helps rather than harms us."

"The Microsoft AI CEO expounded on his views in an interview with Semafor that laid out what seems to amount to his own set of three rules for the AI, which are comparable to science fiction author Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics. To Suleyman's mind, humanist superintelligence can't have total autonomy, the capacity to self-improve, or the ability to set its own goals."

"The announcement that Microsoft is pursuing its own AI ambitions comes as Redmond's relationship with AI pioneer OpenAI has soured. The pair were inextricably linked for years, with Redmond pouring billions into the cash-burning enterprise. Since OpenAI decided to transform itself into a for-profit enterprise and lessen Microsoft's control over its affairs, however, the companies have been drifting apart, with OpenAI starting to diversify away from Azure and add other cloud providers."

Microsoft has launched an AI Superintelligence Team led by Mustafa Suleyman to pursue a humanist approach to superintelligent AI. The vision prioritizes carefully planned limitations to ensure AI helps rather than harms humans and focuses on solving real, concrete problems in a grounded, controllable manner. Humanist superintelligence cannot have total autonomy, the capacity to self-improve, or the ability to set its own goals. Microsoft's move comes amid a souring relationship with OpenAI after years of close partnership and major investments, as OpenAI shifted toward a for-profit model and began diversifying away from Azure.

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