Microsoft just drew a hard line in the AI ethics sand. CEO Mustafa Suleyman declared Thursday that the tech giant won't build AI services for "simulated erotica," directly distancing itself from longtime partner OpenAI, which announced plans last week to let verified adults use ChatGPT for adult content. The stance signals growing philosophical and strategic differences between the two AI powerhouses.
Microsoft is taking a stand that could reshape how tech giants approach AI ethics - and it's putting the company at odds with its biggest AI partner. Speaking at the Paley International Council Summit in Menlo Park, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman made it crystal clear: "That's just not a service we're going to provide." The declaration came as a direct response to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's announcement last week that ChatGPT would soon allow verified adults to create erotic content.
"Other companies will build that," Suleyman added, drawing perhaps the sharpest public line yet between Microsoft's vision for AI and that of its longtime partner-turned-rival. The timing couldn't be more pointed - just hours after Microsoft unveiled new features for its Copilot chatbot, including an AI companion called Mico that can respond through voice calls and express emotions through color changes.
The rift runs deeper than content policies. Suleyman has been vocal about what he calls "seemingly conscious" AI, warning in an August essay titled "We must build AI for people; not to be a person" that conscious-appearing AI could create dangerous new divisions in humanity. During Thursday's summit, he specifically called out the trend toward AI companions and virtual relationships as "very dangerous."
"You can already see it with some of these avatars and people leaning into the kind of sexbot erotica direction," Suleyman warned, referencing not just Altman's comments but also Elon Musk's Grok, which launched companion features in July including a female anime character. "This is very dangerous, and I think we should be making conscious decisions to avoid those kinds of things."
The philosophical divide highlights growing tensions in what was once AI's most important partnership. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI and serves as its exclusive cloud infrastructure partner, but cracks have been showing. OpenAI has recently struck deals with Microsoft rivals including Google and Oracle, while Microsoft has doubled down on developing its own AI capabilities.
