On Monday, Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp expressed that the technology race everyone wants to win is centred around the development of the most advanced artificially intelligent agent. This agent is poised to disrupt search engines, productivity tools, and online shopping platforms.
AI Agent to Disrupt Search Engine, Shopping Sites
Gates confidently stated that with this advanced AI agent, there would be no need for users to visit search sites or even Amazon. He made these remarks at the AI Forward 2023 event in San Francisco, which was hosted by Goldman Sachs Group Inc and SV Angel. Gates also mentioned that it would be disappointing if Microsoft did not participate in this race, but he acknowledged that there is a 50% chance that the leading player in this domain will be a startup.
When approached for comments, Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google, and Microsoft did not respond immediately. Gates specifically praised Inflection AI, a company co-founded by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, for impressing him.
Many companies in the industry are striving to develop a computer assistant powered by AI that can understand and execute a variety of tasks based on user commands, whether spoken or typed. Gates emphasized that the winner in the race to create the most effective personal agent would have a significant impact on the industry.
“Whoever wins the personal agent, that’s a big thing,” Gates said.
More About Inflection AI
The Palo Alto, California-based startup “Inflection AI” said in the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it has raised $225 million in funding.
It was previously reported that Inflection AI is backed by Greylock Partners. It’s one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firms, having backed major tech firms such as Airbnb Inc. and Palo Alto Networks Inc. over the years. It’s unclear whether the firm participated in Inflection AI’s newly disclosed $225 million round.
