Media: Lianhe Zaobao
With Microsoft's announcement that Copilot AI Assistant, along with the latest Windows update, will be available to all users on September 26, and the enterprise version of Microsoft 365 Copilot scheduled for release in November, it is foreseeable that, since the beginning of the year when ChatGPT opened the curtain on the popularization of artificial intelligence with Gen AI, a significant new milestone has been reached.
It is worth noting that although many artificial intelligence tools utilizing large language models have brought convenience to workers over the past half year, individuals and enterprises attempting to apply them have not seen widespread adoption due to reasons such as trust, cost, inertia, and integration difficulties. However, after Microsoft's announcement, many enterprises already using the Microsoft ecosystem (which constitutes the majority globally) have actively prepared budgets to incur minimal additional costs in acquiring features that enhance productivity, helping colleagues simplify complex tasks, save time, respond to emails, draft strategic documents, book business trips, and quickly create personalized visual images.
Despite several Microsoft products developing averagely over the past two decades, such as Windows Phone, Surface tablets, and the later-acquired Skype, the investment in OpenAI in 2019 marked a turn in technological innovation. This turnaround is attributed to the enormous funds accumulated through years of product monopolies and the accumulation of user data over the years.
On the other hand, the tech giant Google, despite efforts in innovation, has faced numerous failures such as Google Wave, Google Buzz, Google+, and the industry joke that out of a hundred projects at Google, ninety-nine will fail. However, relying on its core business - search - Google continues to generate huge profits and simultaneously innovates in other projects or acquires successful products like YouTube, Android, and Fitbit, maintaining its position as a technology leader.
Apple, in recent years, has shown a similar trend. Under Tim Cook, there have been improvements in products, but innovation comparable to the era of Steve Jobs seems lacking. Relying on the long-term dependence of iPhone users, the company sustains its profits, with no notable challengers in the smartphone industry for many years.
In the rapidly changing landscape of e-commerce and the launch of new applications that popularize artificial intelligence, industry transformation continues to impact our lives. Notably, behind these emerging trends are investments from tech giants. However, in recent years, startups seem to struggle to compete, with their success quickly replicated by large corporations. This can be attributed to factors such as insufficient funding, making it challenging to attract talent and compete for substantial computer resources, combined with a global economic downturn affecting the venture capital landscape. Additionally, lack of historical data makes it difficult for startups to compete for a more personalized user experience.
In the foreseeable future, the global trend of technological transformation shows no sign of diminishing. However, the continued dominance of a few major tech giants may result in the public becoming gears and nutrients under digital governance, which may not necessarily be a positive development.
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