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Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on AI copilots, disagreeing with OpenAI, and Sydney making a comeback

Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on AI copilots, disagreeing with OpenAI, and Sydney making a comeback

FromDecoder with Nilay Patel


Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on AI copilots, disagreeing with OpenAI, and Sydney making a comeback

FromDecoder with Nilay Patel

ratings:
Length:
67 minutes
Released:
May 23, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott, who as of this week also has the new title executive vice president of AI, oversees Microsoft's AI efforts, including the big partnership with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Kevin and I spoke ahead of his keynote talk at Microsoft Build, the company’s annual developer conference, where he showed off the company’s new AI assistant tools, which Microsoft calls Copilots. Microsoft is big into Copilots. GitHub Copilot is already helping millions of developers write code, and now, the company is adding Copilots to everything from Office to the Windows Terminal.
Basically, if there’s a text box, Microsoft thinks AI can help you fill it out, and Microsoft has a long history of assistance like this. You might remember Clippy from the ’90s. Well, AI Super Clippy is here.
Microsoft is building these Copilots in collaboration with OpenAI, and Kevin manages that partnership. I wanted to ask Kevin why Microsoft decided to partner with a startup instead of building the AI tech internally, where the two companies disagree, how they resolve any differences, and what Microsoft is choosing to build for itself instead of relying on OpenAI. Kevin controls the entire GPU budget at Microsoft. I wanted to know how he decides to spend it. 
We also talked about what happened when Bing tried to get New York Times columnist Kevin Roose to leave his wife. Like I said, this episode has a little bit of everything. Okay. Kevin Scott, CTO and executive vice president of AI at Microsoft. Here we go.

Links:
Microsoft Build - The Verge 
Kevin Scott on Vergecast in 2020 
GitHub Copilot gets a new ChatGPT-like assistant to help developers write and fix code - The Verge 
Hackers made Iran's nuclear computers blast AC/DC - The Verge 
Microsoft resurrects Clippy again after brutally killing him off in Microsoft Teams - The Verge
Google’s Sundar Pichai talks Search, AI, and dancing with Microsoft - The Verge
Congress hates Big Tech — but it still seems optimistic about AI - The Verge
Hollywood writers to strike over low wages caused by streaming boom. - The Verge 
The 70 percent solution — CNN
Sal Khan: How AI could save (not destroy) education | TED Talk
Why a Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled - The New York Times
Responsible AI principles from Microsoft
Microsoft has been secretly testing its Bing chatbot ‘Sydney’ for years - The Verge        

Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23497429

Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Sr Audio Director is Andrew Marino and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan.  
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Released:
May 23, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Kara Swisher, Silicon Valley’s most revered journalist, hosts candid interviews with tech execs, politicians, celebrities and more about their big ideas and how they’re changing our world. Produced by Recode and the Vox Media Podcast Network.