India Today Conclave 2023: Microsoft President Brad Smith on what to expect from next version of ChatGPT and generative AI

Brad Smith, Vice Chairman and President of Microsoft, discussed the potential and pitfalls of generative AI with Rahul Kanwal, Executive Director of India Today Group, at the India Today Conclave 2023. Smith highlighted three key developments that we can expect to see in the future of generative AI.

Firstly, Smith predicted that generative AI models will continue to get better and more powerful in their ability to reason. These models will progress from large language models to multimodal models, meaning that they will be able to understand not just words, but also images, sound and video, and reason them to produce content in a variety of forms.

"First, we're going to see these models continue to get better. And being better means that they're going to be more powerful in terms of their ability to reason," Smith said.

Secondly, Smith noted that we are already seeing companies like Microsoft incorporate generative AI into their products, with announcements being made almost every week about new applications. For example, Microsoft has unveiled features that allow users to transform Word documents into PowerPoint presentations, summarize lengthy email chains, and generate meeting notes. These applications have the potential to significantly improve communication, collaboration, and productivity in the workplace.

Thirdly, Smith emphasized that these models are not limited to use in first-party applications, but can be accessed by anyone through Microsoft Azure. 

He noted that India is a particularly exciting market for the development of generative AI, with rapid progress being made in digital innovation since the start of the pandemic. 

Smith predicted that we will see the use of generative AI in government services and enterprises in India, leading to entirely new ways for citizens to access information and apply for services, as well as improvements in the way businesses work.

"Frankly, one of the places where we're seeing this kind of innovation moves the fastest is in India. I mean, to me, it's always worth putting all of this back in the context that I think in the entire world, the country that has moved the fastest, since the start of the pandemic, to really ride the wave and opportunity of digital innovation has been India,” Smith said.

“So you're going to see government services, you know, embrace this, they'll be entirely new ways for citizens to get information, fill out forms, apply for services, and you're going to see, you know, enterprises in the like, able to use this to reason over their own data, and improve the way we say work," Smith concluded.

Also read India Today Conclave 2023: Microsoft President Brad Smith says AI could be as big as Internet