Microsoft CEO Seeks Employee Behind ‘Addictive AI’ Comment
▼ Summary
– An internal Microsoft strategy document, authored by executives Omar Shahine and Jakob Werner with AI assistance, stated the goal to “make people addicted” to the new AI assistant, Scout.
– CEO Satya Nadella dismissed the document as “nonsense” and said the company aims to empower users, not encourage dependency.
– Shahine, the Corporate Vice President leading Microsoft Scout, is listed as the document’s author and has publicly promoted the product on Microsoft’s official channels.
– Microsoft did not respond to 404 Media’s request for comment before publication, only providing a link to Scout’s public announcement.
– Nadella’s denial suggests he is unaware of his own executives’ documents, as the authors are clearly identified in the leaked strategy paper.
On Tuesday, we reported on an internal Microsoft strategy document that explicitly stated the company wanted to make people addicted to its new AI assistant, Scout. By Thursday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was telling staff he was “not sure what this document is or who is writing and leaking this nonsense,” according to a message obtained by The Information.
That document was no anonymous leak. The strategy paper, as we clearly noted in our original article, was authored by Microsoft executives Omar Shahine and Jakob Werner, with the help of an AI writing tool. The document itself stated it was “co-created turn-by-turn with AI. Human verified every sentence.” Shahine, the leader of Microsoft’s Scout project, has repeatedly documented his role on his blog, LinkedIn, and Microsoft’s own official announcements.
Nadella’s attempt to distance himself from the document and its authors raises serious questions. Either he is unaware of what his own highest-profile executives are producing, or he is choosing to ignore it. The first phase of Scout’s launch plan, previously known internally as ClawPilot, was to “make people addicted” and “build the skill and tool ecosystem that makes people depend on it daily.”
In his internal message, Nadella wrote, “This is absolutely a non goal! If anything we are doing the exact opposite. We want to make sure AI empowers and adds real value to human endeavor and broad economic growth!” He added, “Not sure what this document is or who is writing and leaking this nonsense! They may want to go work elsewhere…..” He then linked to a Futurism summary of our report.
But the document’s author is Omar Shahine, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Scout. He is the person who conceived, pitched, and launched the product, as he has detailed across numerous LinkedIn posts and his personal blog. His name is listed at the top of the document we reported on. Nadella’s response, along with a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson to The Information, reveals how big tech handles unwelcome coverage. The spokesperson said Scout is for “helping people accomplish tasks more effectively,not encouraging dependency. Our goal isn’t more screen time. It’s more time back.” Notably, Microsoft did not provide that comment to us. Before publication, we specifically asked for context on the “make people addicted” language. The company ignored our question and instead sent a link to Scout’s public announcement. Then it attacked our report internally and to another outlet.
If Nadella is truly Looking for the Guy Who Did This, he should start by reading the documents his own company produces. Or simply ask the executive who wrote them.
(Source: 404media.co)
