In episode 32 of the Growth Swarm podcast, John Siefert, Bob Evans, Tony Uphoff, and Scott Vaughan provide thoughts and context on Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s comments that artificial intelligence (AI) is the new computing platform. The host defines not only what this statement means, but also the gist of the business his users in their personal and professional careers. Additionally, the four explore how human intelligence is being redefined in the increasingly ubiquitous world of artificial intelligence.
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00:11 — John introduces the co-hosts and topics for this episode focused on Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s comments that AI is the next computing platform. John asks Bob, who has taken the time to get more context for this statement, for some more details.
01:11 — Bob suggests that hearing the CEO of one of the world’s most influential technology companies say, “AI is the next computing platform,” raises a few questions. He asked a few questions and reached out to his PR firm at Microsoft.
- If AI is, or soon will be, that “next computing platform,” what will Nadella say will replace or overtake the current platform?
- If AI is the “next computing platform,” how does Microsoft describe the cloud in that context? What do you want people to think?
- How does Microsoft see AI as the ‘next computing platform’ and the coexistence of the cloud? How does Microsoft see the future interaction between AI and the cloud?
Bob explains that the purpose of these questions is to help people better understand how these two incredibly powerful technologies work together.
02:35 — What kind of response did Bob receive from Microsoft’s public relations firm? “Hi Bob. I checked with the Microsoft team and was politely declined to comment.” You say you received a link to He expected mixed reactions, but not this one.
03:20 — John says that Microsoft is a leading company in statement of purpose. It would be “stupid” not to believe that AI will have a major impact on everything we do. AI is more than just a next-generation computing platform. Whatever it has to do with it is redefining life and human intelligence.
04:23 — Tony “couldn’t agree more” with John’s comment. Microsoft is a company that “sticks to a vision, executes better than anyone, and sticks to it longer than anyone else.” Tony says he’s not surprised Nadella is a little more proactive about stepping up as a visionary. He suggests that we use the historical nomenclature for Classifying AI as the next computing model fails to capture the energy of the profound nature of this transition. Tony believes the idea will be “the biggest transition in technology” in his lifetime.
07:03 — AI is nothing new. The companies we interact with on a daily basis have long integrated this technology into their products. The rise of artificial intelligence has been predicted for quite some time, as seen through developments such as ChatGPT. To stay relevant, John says the world needs to rethink what human intelligence means in the world of artificial intelligence.
08:51 — Scott reports that he’s not surprised by Microsoft’s response to Bob, and Bob “answered the question perfectly,” painting a picture of what these comments mean given the underlying complexity. I added that you can. AI is the tip of the spear. Its applications affect a great many people in various industries. Scott believes that AI and the cloud are symbiotic rather than mutually exclusive. Because AI drives the use of cloud services. He finds AI very accessible to so many people and interesting that it is “more life-changing than the cloud.” AI is a big step in the predictive analytics layer and that’s just one application he has.
10:53 — John says the application and execution of AI for predictive analytics is showing a real impact on business. Scott points out that John agrees that the cloud is the foundation upon which everything is built and AI applications are built on that platform. AI as a computing model is built on a cloud foundation. AI is injected into every application running on top of it.
12:10 — What does “AI as the new computing platform” mean, especially for companies that have just invested heavily in cloud-based ERP platforms, especially under the assumption that the cloud is the modern computing platform? do you want?
13:35 — Bob suggested that what Nadella was trying to say was that AI would be an “enhancer” or create the next computing platform, rather than the next computing platform itself. I’m here. If Bob were a customer, he says, he would be pretty “angry” and would ask Microsoft for clarification. This was the nature of his question directed at his PR firm at Microsoft.
15:59 — Tony explains that what hosts are describing here is “not a technology issue, but a marketing and communication issue.” There are two factors that are important to him in understanding the rapid change in AI accessibility.
In this case, Microsoft has the ability to “step up and articulate such a future.” He said Microsoft has always been “a little hesitant” to clarify things. Microsoft is missing a huge opportunity to take AI, the “mysterious technology” “out of the cloud” and show its customers the opportunity.
19:08 — “We need to learn how artificial intelligence will impact humanity, not just our jobs, but our investments in technology,” suggests John. He asks Scott, an accelerated economy go-to-market expert, what he thinks Nadella’s comments are a “go-to-market mistake.”
21:07 — If someone thinks a particular technology will future-proof their business, they’re likely starting off on the wrong foot because “something changes,” says Scott. Microsoft’s statement is bold, bold, and “unsubstantiated.” AI development is moving away from the “customer support mindset” pointed out in chatbots and automation, and moving toward a “customer experience” perspective that seeks to improve artificial intelligence.
23:12 — John needs to use more analogies as Microsoft describes changes in AI and its applications, put more context into what Nadella said, and avoid the risk of what customers will think. I suggest. In general, I have to clarify about Nadella’s remarks.
25:21 — Tony emphasizes Scott’s point that nothing is a guarantee of the future. He feels that Microsoft and others have been careless and not making things clear, potentially doing themselves and their customers a disservice. He doesn’t expect companies to “have a riddle to the future,” but that “how these technologies fit together, there’s an advantage here, and this is our short-term load.” I think we have to be able to say, ‘This is the map and this is where we are.’ That’s what we’re going to do. He believes the reason Bob hasn’t received an answer to his Microsoft question is because “that script doesn’t exist yet.”
27:33 — Finally, John says the key reality of this is that AI will affect everyone in many ways. — It’s not fad or trend. In some ways, AI is sci-fi brought to life.
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