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Microsoft Says AI Will Lead To Job Losses, Invests $80 Billion In The Tech
But the opportunities that AI presents outweigh the challenges, Microsoft's president claims.
www.gamespot.com
Microsoft has doubled down on its plan to invest $80 billion into artificial technologies in 2025, while at the same time admitting that advancements to the technology will lead to job losses. This was always expected to be the case in some sectors, but Microsoft is now coming out and saying it directly.
Microsoft has undergone significant layoffs in recent years, with the Xbox division affected as well. Following the buyout of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft laid off more than 2,500 Xbox employees. Whether or not any of these job cuts were due to AI is unknown. What is evident, though, is that Microsoft's top-down AI push also applies to Xbox. In fact, Microsoft has said AI will be baked into every product it has, including Xbox.
Microsoft is spending big to help realize these dreams, with Smith noting that Microsoft remains on track to invest about $80 billion to create AI-enabled datacenters to train AI modes and to release AI- and cloud-based software applications globally. Microsoft said "more than half" of this investment will be in the US. Smith said this reflects Microsoft's "commitment to this country and our confidence in the American economy."]
He estimated there are around 100,000 game developers in the world, but with AI, the number of potential game developers could climb into the millions, he said.
"Anyone in this room can be a game developer. The barista at your local Starbucks has an awesome idea for a game; they can use AI to go create a great mobile experience," Stuart said. He went on to say that some AI-generated mobile games will break through, and others might not, but overall, he expects there to be a new wave of game-creators thanks to AI in the future.
This forum is an Xbox, and the users are game developers. So smart!