Microsoft Unveils New AI Division Led by Mustafa Suleyman, Co-Founder of DeepMind and Inflection

The AI revolution currently reshaping Silicon Valley and the broader enterprise landscape owes much to DeepMind, the London-based startup that has been at the forefront of machine learning research since its inception in 2010. Acquired by Google in 2014, DeepMind is renowned for breakthroughs like the protein predictor AlphaFold.

Recently, Mustafa Suleyman, one of DeepMind’s co-founders, transitioned from his role as co-founder and CEO of the AI startup Inflection to join Microsoft. Accompanied by Karén Simonyan and other Inflection team members, Suleyman is set to establish a new division within Microsoft, aimed at enhancing consumer AI products.

In an official blog post, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced: “Mustafa Suleyman and Karén Simonyan are joining Microsoft to lead a new organization called Microsoft AI, focusing on advancing Copilot and our other consumer AI products and research.” Suleyman has been named Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft AI, reporting directly to Nadella, while Simonyan will serve as Chief Scientist.

Suleyman expressed his enthusiasm in a post on X, stating, “I’m thrilled to join Microsoft as CEO of Microsoft AI. I’ll oversee all consumer AI products and research, including Copilot, Bing, and Edge, partnering with my longtime collaborator, Karén Simonyan, who will be Chief Scientist.”

Inflection will continue its operations under a new CEO, Sean White, formerly of Mozilla. The company has plans to develop its Inflection-2.5 AI model for Microsoft Azure and other cloud platforms, although a timeline for this roll-out has yet to be confirmed. Inflection’s blog reassured users that there would be no immediate changes to their service and that they remain committed to delivering quality AI experiences.

Despite the optimism surrounding Suleyman’s move, concerns about his past behavior and the implications of consolidating power within the tech sector have surfaced. Some on social media pointed to previous accusations of bullying during his tenure at Google DeepMind. Margaret Mitchell, a former co-leader of Google’s AI ethics team, alleged that Suleyman yelled at her for having a PhD and sympathized with others who faced similar experiences.

In January 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Suleyman had been demoted following complaints about his management style, which led to an independent investigation. Google stated that Suleyman underwent professional development training and was moved to a Vice President role in AI policy, where he contributed positively.

However, further reports detailed ongoing issues with Suleyman’s behavior, citing anonymous sources who described instances of him yelling and humiliating employees. A Business Insider article from August 2021 revealed that DeepMind had issued settlements to former employees who complained about his conduct.

Additionally, some tech professionals voiced concerns over the broader implications of Microsoft’s moves, indicating that the hiring of Suleyman and Simonyan might intensify the concentration of power within the rapidly evolving generative AI industry.

Interestingly, Microsoft’s recent history includes the brief involvement of OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman in a planned AI division, a position he ultimately retained after a swift reinstatement. Suleyman now takes on this leadership role amid ongoing scrutiny, emphasizing the complexities of leadership in the ever-changing landscape of AI technology.