From Tools to Companions: Mustafa Suleyman’s Big Vision
Last week Microsoft invited me to sit down with Mustafa Suleyman, their CEO of AI, to talk about what AI actually is and where it's going.
You know when people ask if you could have dinner with ANY four people who would they be? Mustafa was one of mine. (No dinner was served which is fine because no salad greens to get stuck in my teeth or anything.)
Better yet, we got to record it for our AI Applied podcast.
If you're unfamiliar with Suleyman, his resume reads like an AI hall of fame ballot: Co-founder of DeepMind. Co-founder of Inflection AI. Author of "The Coming Wave." And now running Microsoft's AI division, overseeing products like Copilot.
Suleyman's vision for AI has profoundly shaped my own thinking - particularly around this idea of AI as a "digital species" - his massive TED Talk where he describes as AI as something we’ve never quite encountered before.
And that’s what his vision for Copilot is. Not a tool - a companion. Literally.
TWO AIs ARE BETTER THAN ONE.
We started by asking Mustafa how and why he chose to work with Microsoft - the 800 pound gorilla in corporate enterprise - understanding that his own work has been all around AI as an empathetic companion. Which is….well. That doesn’t really sound like Office Suite amiright?
He gave a vision where AI is evolving along two distinct paths:
The Work AI
Or (what he calls "agents") will be trained for specific business tasks - HR, marketing, logistics. They'll be neutral, reflecting your company's policies and brand voice. Think highly specialized tools. Efficient. Necessary. But definitely not your brainstorming buddy.
The Consumer AI
This is where Suleyman's passion clearly shines. He envisions a true "companion" AI - one that grows with you, learns your preferences, develops a relationship with you over time. He emphasized that personality, emotional intelligence, tone, and feel are just as important as raw intelligence or task completion.
WHY YOUR AI NEEDS THERAPY SKILLS (AND YOU NEED IT TO HAVE THEM)
There's a strategic play here. One that goes beyond fuzzy warm AI.
Suleyman argues that the utility we get from AI – the trust we build, our willingness to engage deeply – directly connects to its EQ, its ability to make us feel understood. It's basically AI therapy (which, BTW, I absolutely love because someone who's gonna listen to me talk nonstop and never complain?? Yes please. My spouse is already asking how to pre-order.)
Pi, the AI from Suleyman's previous company, earned its reputation by actually seeming to care about what you were saying. Imagine that – technology that doesn't make you feel like you're yelling into a void! While Copilot handles more tasks, Suleyman's team is working to infuse that same "I'm actually listening to you" vibe into Microsoft's AI.
PERSONALITY ENGINEERING: YES, THAT'S A REAL JOB NOW
Suleyman talked about something super cool: "personality engineering" – deliberately crafting how AI behaves. This isn't just code nerds doing their thing; they're bringing in film directors, comedians, scriptwriters, even furniture designers. (Yes, furniture designers. Stand up, y’all!)
Consider Copilot's voice mode. Suleyman detailed the absolutely bonkers effort behind getting the pauses right. Knowing when to shut up (a skill many humans like myself still haven't mastered). Giving you that little "uh-huh" so you know it's listening.
These features are the subtle magic that makes you forget you're talking to a machine. Like that friend who actually listens instead of just waiting for their turn to speak, except this one won't get distracted by a text notification halfway through your stor(hang on my friend just sent me a meme…).
SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?
Your AI Is Getting Multiple Personalities (The Good Kind):
The AI helping with your TPS reports won't be the same as the one helping you plan a vacation or talking you down from texting your ex at 2am.
The EQ Revolution Is Coming:
Forget fancy coding skills. The future belongs to people who can communicate clearly, provide context, and treat AI like a collaborator with feelings (even if they're simulated). Your ability to build rapport will matter more than your prompt engineering skills.
Work/Life Data Stays Separated (Thank Goodness):
Your work AI won't know about your embarrassing Spotify playlists, and your home companion won't have access to your quarterly sales targets. The security folks can sleep at night.
Trust, But Verify (It's Still Software):
Even with high EQ, we're not talking Westworld here. Suleyman advocates for healthy skepticism. Test it, understand where it breaks, especially when it starts giving relationship advice.
THE BOTTOM LINE
When you strip away all the hype, Suleyman's vision points to something genuinely new: technology that doesn't just perform tasks but builds relationships. One path leads to hyper-efficient work agents, the other to companions that might understand you better than some of your actual friends.
This is about creating something that sits in the uncanny valley between tool and teammate – and might just change how we relate to technology forever.
This newsletter barely scratches the surface. Hearing Suleyman talk about interface evolution, tone management, and why teaching AI to learn might be more important than teaching it facts? It's like watching someone sketch out the future on a napkin.
You need to hear this directly from him:
Go watch. Go listen [Spotify | Apple Podcasts]. Let me know if it blows your mind or just confirms what you already suspected – that your next best friend might come with a power button.
