Microsoft Corp on Tuesday sought to assure investors that its significant bet on artificial intelligence (AI) is paying off. Even as financial turbulence is making Microsoft customers monitor their cloud spending.
The early proof uses a little-discussed tool called GitHub Copilot to type computer code for programmers.
The tool opened up to the public in June last year and attracted 400,000 subscribers within a month. On Tuesday, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella stated that more than 1 million people had used Copilot.
Microsoft shares fell slightly in after-hours trade on Tuesday following its forecast that cloud-computing earnings in the current quarter were just below Wall Street anticipations.
Yet the transition in Copilot is a preliminary indication that users will pay for so-called generative AI, tech that can create prose and imagery. Or, in this case, computer code on command after having understood the skill from vast data.
Copilot – Code Generative AI Software
Copilot offers programmers what to type next. Writing up to 35% or 40% of a file’s code when allowed, the CEO of GitHub, owned by Microsoft, said last year. According to a GitHub blog post, it costs $100 annually for individual subscribers or can be billed through a corporate account.
This week, Microsoft declared it would embark on a multimillion-dollar investment, including supercomputer development and cloud support, to strengthen a startup it first backed in 2019, known as OpenAI, which is at the forefront of generative AI.
Copilot depends on OpenAI’s tech, as does a chatbot sensation Open AI released last year known as ChatGPT. Microsoft has stated it will make ChatGPT, which can type code and articles or poetry, available through its cloud.
ChatGPT has caught enough attention to prompt industry observers to speak. It could respond to any user question if updated. Potentially allowing Microsoft’s Bing search engine to take on Alphabet Inc’s Google, the industry leader. Google is working on its own primary AI launch, Reuters previously reported.
Nadella expressed the Azure OpenAI Service presents the startup’s tech via Microsoft’s cloud. And has already drawn 200 customers, including KPMG and Al Jazeera.
