India-born Nadella used the play to highlight how AI models like ChatGPT and Dall-E, both created by US company OpenAI, are new “reasoning engines” while on a four-day tour of India to meet the company’s clients and some government officials “that can improve the performance of knowledge workers, among other people. Large language model-based AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E will play increasingly essential roles in the future of work, according to Nadella, who was speaking to the media and a few customers in Mumbai. However, he continued, “these platforms must be utilized responsibly, and users must take into account the displacement (of staff and business models) they are able to cause.”
While such generative AI tools produced less than 1% of the global AI data sets in 2021, Nadella noted that by 2025, this may rise to 10% of all AI-generated data. The majority of the data in the future will be produced by generative models. A new thinking engine is currently starting to form. We will undoubtedly need to discuss this reasoning engine, including its appropriate uses, the displacements it will bring about, and other issues. But since technology could have a significant impact on our future, we should also consider how it can improve what we are doing right now, Nadella remarked.
“In the end, these tools will increase human productivity, inventiveness, and originality across a variety of tasks. It will be a golden age since the computer revolution changed the behavior of many consumers and increased productivity for knowledge workers. What if, though, we could distribute that production more fairly? That is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting things to look forward to, and the best way to get there is through creating a strong digital infrastructure,” he continued.
According to Nadella, India would be a key player in the creation of these AI-powered platforms. “India leading in digital public goods is one of the things that is delightful to watch. I mean, there’s India and then there’s daylight when it comes to the smart way in which India is expanding out digital infrastructure,” he remarked, commenting on various government measures to build up digital infrastructure in the country.
Nadella also noted that the emergence of ‘cloud-native applications’ is the technological advancement that will permit the deployment of such ‘reasoning engines’. “Cloud-native applications truly haven’t started yet. The majority of applications created by everyone will be at the cutting edge of cloud-native technology by 2025; in certain situations, they will be 10x or even 100x better. But it doesn’t stop there; switching to the cloud also results in a 70–80% increase in energy efficiency. By switching to the cloud, you also insure against fluctuations in demand because you only use what you need.
Along with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud, Microsoft’s Azure suite of services is ranked as one of the top three cloud computing platforms globally. Microsoft is heavily investing in building cloud infrastructure, according to Nadella, and a new cloud and data center infrastructure will be operating in Hyderabad by 2025. As a result, Microsoft currently operates more than 200 data centers worldwide and more than 60 cloud regions. “Computer power is now a requirement for every firm at the site where data is produced. Thus, there will still be a need for distributed computing. Today, there is a lot of momentum – companies like Adani are utilizing Azure to expand, HDFC Bank is consolidating its data platforms, Yes Bank created their super app on it, and more,” stated Nadella.
Nadella outlined six “digital imperatives” that organizations must concentrate on right now and emphasized the role that cloud-native technologies and applications can play for contemporary businesses. The demands are to go to the cloud, combine data and use platforms for AI, Embrace collaborative business processes, Re-energize your employees (upskilling), Empower fusion teams (essentially remote work), and Put security first.
