Nadella urges businesses to balance AI adoption with human control and trust

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urged businesses to make greater use of artificial intelligence while keeping people in control of everyday work. Speaking at the company’s Frontier Tour London event, he said AI can take on routine tasks but people still need to retain control.

Nadella outlined three challenges in what he called the “frontier ecosystem”: restoring individual empowerment, retaining knowledge generated by AI within an organization, and building trust. He described the knowledge challenge as a “reverse information paradox,” and said businesses need to capture and keep that knowledge locally. He also said increasingly powerful models should be treated as “new forms of insiders” and surrounded by a zero-trust architecture.

Microsoft research cited in the report found a gap between UK business leaders and employees on AI’s prospects. While 84% of leaders said the UK could become a world-leading AI economy within five years, 41% of employees agreed. Among employees using AI at work, 57% feared it would reduce opportunities for young people, and 35% worried about their own job security.

The research also found that 90% of business leaders said their organization had a clear AI strategy. Among organizations already adopting AI, 84% reported moderate or significant changes to how work gets done. Microsoft UK CEO Darren Hardman said the challenge was turning AI’s potential into improvements people can feel in their work, services, and opportunities.