Microsoft opens AI lab in Zurich

Microsoft is opening an AI research lab in Zurich, joining Google and OpenAI. According to the new co-working space View in Stockerstrasse and employ several dozen people. Zurich Enge is thus establishing itself as an AI powerhouse.

To further develop Microsoft's Copilot, AI boss Mustafa Suleyman has brought three former Google Deepmind employees on board, as Financial Times writes. These are Matthias Minderer, whose specialty is image analysis, Marco Tagliasacchi and Zalán Borsos. The latter two had previously worked on Deepmind's planned AI agent called Astra. They also played important roles in the development of Audio Overviews - a text-to-audio function - in Google's NotebookLM.

The trio of researchers is, according to Financial Times integral to the next generation of Copilot and will help to develop interactive AI agents that can take over tasks such as travel bookings or calendar management. All three comment on their new jobs at Microsoft on Linkedin.

Matthias Minderer: "Job update: I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office, where we are currently putting together a fantastic team. I'll be working with colleagues in London and the US on image analysis features and can't wait to get started. There's a lot to do!"

Marco Tagliasacchi: "I am delighted to announce that I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office. I will be working in audio and collaborating with teams in London and the US. AI continues to be a transformative force, with audio playing a critical role in creating more natural, intuitive and immersive interactions. I'm looking forward to the journey ahead."

Zalán Borsos: "I am pleased to announce that I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office. Together with an outstanding team, I will focus on the further development of audio features. I am looking forward to the exciting journey ahead!" (Dajana Dakic/jor)

This article first appeared in Netzwoche.