Microsoft AI chief warns against Meta’s billion dollar AI ambitions

Microsoft’s AI chief, Mustafa Suleyman, has issued a stark warning about the ongoing race to develop artificial intelligence (AI), particularly as tech rivals like Meta invest billions into advanced AI models.

Suleyman has cautioned that the future of AI must be shaped by human ethics, not just ambition or competition.

“We can’t build super-intelligence just for super-intelligence’s sake; it must serve humanity and create a future we actually want,” Suleyman said, emphasising the need for responsible development.

He noted that Microsoft is now working toward “AI self-sufficiency,” enabling it to build its own large-scale models without relying solely on external partners.

Outlining Microsoft’s vision of “Humanist Super Intelligence,” Suleyman described an approach in which AI is built within ethical and contextual limits, a sharp contrast to Meta’s open-ended expansion of AI.

While Meta focuses on aggressive innovation and scale, Microsoft aims to prioritise real-world applications such as medical diagnostics, education, and clean energy.

Despite acknowledging that Microsoft’s measured approach may slow its progress, Suleyman argued that maintaining ethical safeguards outweighs the pressure to compete.

As AI becomes more powerful, he urged that safety, alignment, and accountability must remain central, a principle he said separates Microsoft’s AI mission from Meta’s billion-dollar ambitions.