Dec 4, 2025 - Technology

Exclusive: AI customers demand responsible development, Microsoft exec says

Two people seated in white armchairs on a stage with blue backgrounds displaying the word AXIOS. One in a floral dress faces the camera, the other wears dark clothes with back to camera. — Sarah Bird, chief product officer of responsible AI at Microsoft, speaks to Axios' Ina Fried during Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco, Calif. on Dec. 4, 2025. Photo credits: Chris Constantine on behalf of Axios.

AI customers are already making it clear that they want the booming industry to develop responsibly as it rolls out across their lives, Sarah Bird, Microsoft's chief product officer of responsible AI, said Thursday at Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco.

The big picture: Conversations about generative AI often lead to hand-wringing about massive internet disruptions, cybersecurity risks and a wrecking ball through white-collar jobs. Bird recognizes the risks — but also sees its promise.

Driving the news: Millions of Americans are already using chatbots, but developers need to proceed carefully as users develop relationships with those systems, Bird told Axios' Ina Fried.

One area in particular that needs careful study is the use of AI as a companion, Bird said.
"I think this is one of the most important questions we are working to figure out because there is so much potential upside here, but you have to think, 'What are the controls and guard rails around it?'" she said.

State of play: Microsoft's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman recently told Axios the company is aiming to build safer, more human-centered frontier models.

Core leaders are working on the development of what they call "Humanist Superintelligence."
That highly powerful AI would be focused on serving humans, rather than maximizing performance, according to Suleyman.

What they're saying: Bird also said companies like Microsoft are thinking through how to incorporate features like ads in AI, knowing chatbots can be highly persuasive for some users.

"Some of the goal has to be it's aligned with the user intent and what the user really wants. .. The AI system has to be working on behalf of the user," she said.

Catch up quick: OpenAI and Microsoft worked out key details of their complicated partnership in a deal earlier this year, but their paths are likely to diverge in the coming years.

Both sides earned one major boost in the quest for AI dominance: the ability to move much faster.
OpenAI received more freedom to seek hyper-growth, Axios' Ina Fried reported, and Microsoft gained an opening to hedge AI bets with a range of partners.

Go deeper: Microsoft debuts Agent 365 to manage the AI agent flood

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Exclusive: AI customers demand responsible development, Microsoft exec says

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