Artificial Intelligence Expert Moves from Microsoft to OpenAI to Enhance AI

Sebastian Popken, one of the prominent names in artificial intelligence research at Microsoft, has announced his departure from the company to join OpenAI. This move comes after Popken played a key role in developing Microsoft’s generative AI models. While his new role at OpenAI has not been defined yet, this transition carries strong signals about the importance of his expertise in this field.

Popken, who joined Microsoft in 2014 as a researcher, effectively contributed to building small language models known as Phi SLMs. These models were designed to be more efficient and cost-effective compared to the GPT models developed by OpenAI, giving Microsoft a strong competitive advantage in the AI sector.

Popken’s joining OpenAI is expected to have a significant impact, especially as the company seeks to strengthen its position in the rapidly growing AI market. Despite Popken’s move coming at a time when several prominent figures have left OpenAI, such as former CTO Ilya Sutskever and Vice President of Research Bari Zapiec, CEO Sam Altman has confirmed that these transitions are not a result of internal restructuring.

This change comes at a time when the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI is evolving. In addition to Microsoft’s massive $13 billion investment in OpenAI since 2019, OpenAI has recently raised another $6.6 billion, increasing its market value to $157 billion. Despite this close collaboration, some reports indicate that OpenAI is seeking greater independence in its infrastructure by renting data centers from other companies like Oracle.