- AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman posted on X after recent AI backlash
- The executive said there are “so many cynics” who think AI is “disappointing.”
- He added that “the fact that people aren’t impressed that we can have a smooth conversation with a super-intelligent AI… is mind-blowing to me.”
Microsoft has been heavily criticized for doubling down on AI following recent revelations about where Windows 11 is headed, and the response to that is to fight fire with fire, at least for the company’s AI CEO.
Windows Central reported that Mustafa Suleyman had turned to X and said he was unimpressed by AI haters.
Regarding recent negative feedback on planned AI advancements for Windows 11, including AI agents in the operating system, Suleyman complained: “Damn, there are so many cynics! It makes me laugh when I hear people call AI disappointing. I grew up playing Snake on a Nokia phone!
And okay, I feel that way in some ways. Yes, the advancement of AI, or Large Language Model (LLM), since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, has been something to behold. There’s no denying that the speed of AI developments on desktops and phones is dizzying, and there are some pretty incredible things happening.
Even ordinary, non-tech-savvy people, or certainly my friends and family, quickly understand that ChatGPT (or Gemini, or Copilot, etc.) can be a much more powerful tool than Google for answering questions and meeting their needs. (Although Google has now injected AI into its search results at the top, of course, precisely because of this). Or for creating a pretty spectacular image from scratch, as Suleyman points out.
But these are all good things. You can just talk about the positive and sunny things and not the scorching darkness of the clouds that consist of all the worries and doubts around AI. And so, onward, into the storm…
Analysis: Microsoft must build trust
There are, of course, general fears about AI: that we will move quickly and break things, as the oft-cited worry goes. And that we’re not doing enough to provide security and safeguards, while being too focused on advancing what AI can do. (And when I say “we,” I really mean those of us who make a lot of money from AI, related applications, and related hardware, of course).
These kinds of broader concerns of course apply to AI in Windows 11, but more specific barbs are aimed at Microsoft’s new push to integrate more AI into its desktop operating system.
I’ve been talking about this a lot lately, so I won’t go into it in detail, but suffice to say it mostly comes down to the fact that Microsoft’s focus on AI is “unimpressive” (harsher words used) in terms of pushing new features into Windows 11 while there are quite a few things about the operating system that still leave a lot to be desired.
For example, the lack of basic functionality (moving the taskbar away from the bottom of the screen) and the all-too-steady stream of weird bugs and issues with Windows 11.
As I and many others have said, how can we trust Microsoft to do AI right — and allow agents to perform perhaps complex tasks, while maintaining our privacy and security — when even the basic elements of Windows 11’s interface regularly become wonky (slow search, File Explorer, context menu quirk, etc.).
This is what’s “disappointing” about Microsoft’s software development and quality assurance processes, which will also apply to these AI agents with their tendrils extending over Windows 11 and your files (which you’ve given the agent permission to access, of course – I have to be very clear, but the AI still accesses some content).
What’s also a big problem is that Copilot demos, especially recent marketing efforts, have been disappointing. The practical use of AI doesn’t match the theory, as we saw in a recent clip of Copilot trying to help a user change text size in Windows 11, where it stumbles on a number of points and gets several things completely wrong. It’s baffling how Microsoft’s marketing department let this clip be released, frankly, and tellingly, the video has now been removed.
While those working on AI in Windows 11 may be understandably frustrated by the backlash, they need to take this criticism on board and not lash out at it — which, to be fair, another Microsoft executive did.
Given the hiccups in the demos and the generally disappointing nature of Copilot so far in Windows 11 – with much of the early AI capabilities being focused on primarily creative applications, which are by no means everyone’s bag – isn’t it surprising that many people aren’t so keen? Or that some are downright hostile when they’ve had enough of the bugs, the bits of Windows 11 going wrong in really weird ways, and the incessant promotion of Microsoft’s other services in the OS? Or when they think about the din of recalls – don’t forget this gem of woeful thinking and poor planning of a deeply privacy-sensitive AI feature.
For some people, all of this has created a backdrop of a lack of confidence in Microsoft’s ability to master AI and that the “snake” of these agents could somehow escape the confines of its security container due to an exploit and end up eating all their files.
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