Satya Nadella Warns Against Concentration of Power in AI Industry

Washington — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has warned against allowing a small group of companies to control the development and benefits of artificial intelligence as the technology transforms economies, workplaces and society.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Nadella called for lower-cost AI models, greater user control and broader access to the technology.

“You can’t say, hey, all white-collar jobs are gone and this could even be a weapon and we will use all the power to build data centres,” Nadella said.

He argued that the public would not accept an AI industry in which a handful of companies controlled how the technology is developed and deployed. The industry, he said, must earn what he described as “social permission” from the public.

Without naming specific competitors, Nadella criticized an approach in which a limited number of companies capture most of AI’s economic value while warning about job losses, safety threats and the enormous resources required to build increasingly powerful systems.

Microsoft is also weighing whether to host models developed by DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that has attracted international attention with its lower-cost technology. Hosting the models could expand DeepSeek’s reach and increase pressure on major AI developers to reduce prices.

Nadella said AI’s future should be more democratic and less dependent on a few developers of advanced models. He also argued that companies should use the technology to reorganize work rather than simply eliminate jobs.

“No, how about we think about reorganizing the jobs?” he said.

Nadella acknowledged that the transition would create disruption but said businesses could develop practical ways to help employees adapt.

“Yes, it’s a lot of change management, it’s a lot of displacement, but there is a path,” he said.

He described AI as a knowledge engine that could help organizations make better use of their employees, data and technology. Companies should be able to select from multiple models offering different capabilities and prices instead of relying on a single provider, he said.

Nadella also said technology companies would have to demonstrate their commitment to responsible AI development through action rather than public messaging.

“No amount of just narrative is going to do it because where we are now, we have to sort of walk the walk,” he said. “We now have to do the hard work in earning the social permission.”

His comments come as governments, businesses and workers debate AI’s effects on employment, economic power and national competitiveness. Technology companies are investing heavily in data centers, computing systems and other infrastructure needed to develop and operate AI models.

Microsoft remains one of the industry’s most influential companies through its own products and its partnerships and investments in leading AI developers. (Source: IANS)