Microsoft AI CEO Calls India As One Of The Company’s Fastest Growing Markets

Microsoft AI chief executive Mustafa Suleyman, also  known for cofounding DeepMind, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies, as well as Inflection AI, has said that India is one of the company’s fastest-growing markets.

On his first trip to India, Suleyman expressed pride that India has one of its strongest teams worldwide based in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

“There are extremely talented engineers and developers here,” said Suleyman at the Microsoft: Building AI Companions for India event in Bengaluru as cited by Business Standard.

“We are also increasingly involving social scientists, psychologists, therapists, scriptwriters, and comedians — people you might often associate with the film or gaming industry. This is an opportunity for us to synthesise more diverse perspectives and gain a broader view of those involved in the design and operation process,” he added.

He further shared insights about the future of AI and how it can improve personal well-being.

In a fireside chat with S Krishnan, secretary of the ministry of electronics and IT, Suleyman discussed AI’s potential to boost India’s economy, particularly in a capital-limited environment. He noted that, much like the internet made information universally accessible, AI has the power to drive similar transformative growth.

“AI is now going to put knowledge at everyone’s fingertips. This knowledge is synthesised, distilled, and personally tailored to how you want to learn and use information, whether in the workplace or at home,” said Suleyman. 

He gave the example of Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI-powered productivity tool that helps users complete tasks more efficiently and effectively by providing real-time assistance across Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

He added, “Copilot can reference your emails, calendar, excel sheets, documents, HR records, or supply-chain information to answer questions and provide accurate citations.” This allows knowledge workers to access specific information instantly, enabling them to make informed decisions and complete tasks more effectively.

When asked about Microsoft’s role in advancing diversity in India, Suleyman highlighted voice technology as essential for making AI tools accessible to everyone, as per the BS report.

On AI safety, he emphasised on the need for proactive regulation, viewing it not as a taboo but as an important topic for open dialogue. 

S Krishnan mentioned that during the initial planning of the ‘India AI Mission,’ there was a consideration to develop a Large Language Model (LLM) specifically for India.

The development comes at a time when the tech major has acquired more than 30 acres of land in Pune in the past two months for a total investment of INR 973 Cr.

The big tech major also recently inked a pact with the Telangana government to develop a large data centre in Hyderabad. It is also mulling investing more than INR 15,000 Cr in its upcoming data centres in the state. 

It is pertinent to note that more and more big tech companies are making a beeline to set up data centres in India to cater to the growing demand for cloud services in India.