According to Business Insider, Microsoft announced its MAI Superintelligence Team on Thursday, led by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. This comes just four months after Meta launched its own Superintelligence Lab under Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang. Suleyman emphasized what he calls “humanist superintelligence” and rejected narratives about an AGI race. Meanwhile, Meta laid off 600 employees from its superintelligence division back in October. Microsoft recently signed a new agreement giving it roughly 27% stake in OpenAI’s restructured for-profit public benefit corporation. Suleyman described Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI as “siblings” who sometimes “squabble.”
The humanist angle
So here’s the thing about Microsoft‘s “humanist” positioning – it sounds great in a blog post, but what does it actually mean? Suleyman’s announcement post goes heavy on the “we’re not building ethereal superintelligence” and “we’re grounded and controllable” messaging. But let’s be real – every AI company says they’re being responsible while racing to build the most powerful AI systems possible.
I mean, look at the timing. Meta announces their superintelligence push in January, and four months later Microsoft has to counter with their own team? This isn’t coincidence – it’s strategic positioning in a market that’s getting increasingly crowded. Anthropic’s talking about superintelligence by 2026, OpenAI’s former chief scientist started his own safe superintelligence company, and now Microsoft wants in. Everyone’s trying to differentiate while essentially pursuing the same goal.
The corporate chess game
What’s really fascinating here is Microsoft’s dual-track approach. They’re pouring billions into OpenAI while building their own competing superintelligence team. Suleyman calling it a “sibling” relationship with occasional squabbles is corporate speak for “we’re partners until we’re not.”
And let’s talk about that 27% stake in OpenAI’s new structure. That’s not passive investment – that’s strategic positioning. Microsoft gets to benefit from OpenAI’s breakthroughs while building their own capabilities. It’s hedging at the highest level. If OpenAI stumbles or becomes too independent, Microsoft has its own team ready to step up.
Basically, we’re watching the big tech players position themselves for what they see as the next computing platform. The question isn’t whether superintelligence is coming – it’s who will control it and how they’ll monetize it. Microsoft’s “humanist” framing is their attempt to win the narrative battle while they fight the technical one.
