Microsoft AI CEO predicts personal AI companion for everyone within 5 years

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping productivity, industry and robotics, but Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman believes its next evolution will be far more personal. According to Suleyman, within the next five years, everyone could have an AI companion that understands them on a deeply intimate level.

In a clip shared on X by developer Haider, Suleyman said these AI companions would function as ever-present partners in daily life. They would see what users see, hear what they hear, and understand personal context, preferences and motivations.

“In five years’ time, everybody will have their own AI companion who knows them so intimately and so personally that they will come to live life alongside you,” Suleyman said. These kinds of systems will be less of a tool and more of a helper or a friend in the sense that they will assist someone in dealing with the challenges of life.

The remarks have received divergent comments from online users. Some commentators are pleased with the prospect of having AI help, while others questioned the timeline for the technology. One user joked that he would have to charge it often, while others anticipate the technology to be available even sooner.

Suleyman’s philosophy is highly connected to his previous work in the AI industry. Prior to his appointment at Microsoft, he co-founded Inflection AI with Reid Hoffman and Karen Simonyan.

Inflection AI created Pi, an empathy- and conversation-driven, emotionally intelligent chatbot, targeting emotional support and not task-orientated assistance. This product had an alleged one million active users on a daily basis before the Inflection AI team moved to Microsoft in 2024.

As a leading member in Microsoft AI, Suleyman has continued to fight for humanist superintelligence. This has been coupled with a focus on alignment, containment, and lines that ensure super intelligence works in accordance with human values and not against them.