MS Follows Meta in Launching 'Superintelligence' Team Led by Suleyman

Development Restrictions Lifted After OpenAI Governance Restructuring
Pursuing Human-Centered Superintelligence

Following Meta, Microsoft (MS) has also begun research and development on 'superintelligence'-AI that surpasses human capabilities.

EPA Yonhap News

Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of the MS AI Group (MAI), announced on his official blog on the 6th (local time), "I have established the MAI Superintelligence Team under my leadership," adding, "I hope this will become the world's leading place for AI research and development."

If OpenAI's corporate goal of artificial general intelligence (AGI) refers to AI that matches human-level performance across all domains, superintelligence means AI that exceeds this level.

MS has officially unveiled its plan to develop superintelligence (AGI) after recent changes in OpenAI's transition to a public benefit corporation (PBC) resolved longstanding governance issues that had previously held it back.

When MS invested in OpenAI in 2019, the contract included a clause that, in exchange for securing usage rights to AI models developed by OpenAI, MS would not independently develop AGI using those technologies. However, as OpenAI recently restructured from a nonprofit foundation model, this clause was revised, allowing MS to pursue its own superintelligence development.

Anticipating this, MS re-hired DeepMind co-founder Suleyman, who had left the company in 2022, in March last year to establish the 'MAI' organization.

However, CEO Suleyman stated in his announcement that "MS AI aims for 'human-centered superintelligence' (HSI)."

He went on to explain that his team's mission is "not about aimless technological goals, empty challenges, or climbing a mountain just because it's there, but about solving concrete real-world problems in a way that is grounded in reality and remains under control," emphasizing, "We reject the narrative of an AGI race."

He cited examples of HSI such as 'AI companions' that assist humans, 'medical superintelligence,' and 'clean energy AI.'

Previously, Meta also established the 'Meta Superintelligence Lab' (MSL) in July.