Despite stepping away from the public eye at Microsoft in 2021, Bill Gates has been quietly influencing the company’s AI revolution. Gates, who was ousted following allegations of inappropriate behavior towards female employees, has remained deeply involved in Microsoft’s operations.
In 2017, Gates shared a memo with CEO Satya Nadella and top executives, predicting a new world order brought on by “AI agents”. These digital personal assistants, he believed, would be far more powerful than Siri and Alexa, possessing extensive knowledge and intuitive capabilities. Gates envisioned these agents transforming not only how we interact with computers but also causing a significant upheaval in the software industry.
At the time, this vision seemed futuristic, especially given Microsoft’s previous unsuccessful attempts at creating personal “agents” like Clippy and Tay. However, Gates’ predictions have materialized in the form of Copilot, an AI tool powered by OpenAI’s GPT large language model. Copilot, which debuted last year, assists users with tasks such as preparing presentations and summarizing meetings within Microsoft products.
Despite his public absence, Gates continues to advise on strategy, review products, recruit high-level executives, and nurture Microsoft’s crucial relationship with Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI. His influence is evident in the company’s AI advancements, demonstrating that Gates continues to pull the strings behind the scenes at Microsoft.
Read more at: businessinsider