Microsoft Snatches OpenAI Researchers - Forming New AI Team Despite Partnership
Microsoft is poaching key researchers like Sam Altman from OpenAI to build an in-house AI team. But Microsoft claims it remains committed to the OpenAI partnership.
Microsoft is making big moves in artificial intelligence - the company has poached several key researchers from OpenAI to form a new internal AI team.
This includes former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and core researchers who were part of OpenAI’s pivotal DALL-E and GPT-3 projects.
On the surface, this looks concerning for Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI. However, Microsoft insists it remains fully committed to the collaboration.
Microsoft invested $1 billion into OpenAI in 2019. So why does Microsoft suddenly need its own AI research division, hiring away talent like Altman?
Experts say while Microsoft will continue to work with OpenAI, it wants more direct control over core AI capabilities - likely to boost its Azure cloud services and other products.
Having its own central AI team allows Microsoft to push innovation in areas like natural language processing without relying solely on OpenAI.
Still, some view poaching OpenAI researchers as Microsoft gearing up for more competition in AI development. We’ll have to see if tensions emerge with OpenAI down the road.
For now, Microsoft appears set on pursuing an AI talent grab while maintaining its strategic OpenAI partnership. But this bears close watching as the AI race really heats up.
Let me know your thoughts - was it a smart move by Microsoft to form its own AI research team? How will this impact the OpenAI collaboration?
Give me your take - is Microsoft's new AI team a threat to their OpenAI partnership? Share your thoughts!