When applied correctly, AI will be hugely assistive for people from every nation, background, and digital ability.
MEDIA 7: Congratulations on your new role at Microsoft! Before we dig in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
NICHOLAS MCQUIRE: Thanks!! It’s very exciting! I have always loved learning about how businesses apply new technologies to innovate, change how they work, and succeed in their respective markets. This fascination actually dates back to when writing my master’s thesis at university, before I even began my career - believe it or not! It all crystallized when I got my first job, fresh out of grad school, where I had the privilege of working in a tech startup incubator and early-stage VC firm. They took a chance on hiring me as a fresh-faced graduate. The range of innovation, and types of businesses and sectors across Europe and the US that I got to work with back then, was just mind-blowing to me so early on in my career. From then on, I was hooked on enterprise technology. I, then, went on to become an analyst and the rest is history.
M7: What an inspiring story! You have actually been a technological analyst for over 20 years. How do you see this experience influence your current role at Microsoft?
NM: I think there will be a lot of cross-over. My new role, at its core, will be to help Microsoft expand its thought leadership for business leaders in the complementary fields of AI and innovation as both these has now become top priorities for businesses across the planet and it’s our job to help them succeed in both areas. A big part of this effort will be to help the business community better understand and leverage the fantastic work that Microsoft Research is doing in advanced technology science and in several important fields of AI technologies.
Back in 2005-2006, I got quite ill suddenly and was diagnosed as a type 1 Diabetic which exposed me personally to the advances in technology research that could help me deal with my illness. This has always inspired me to focus more of my research as an analyst and advisory to C-level executive clients in these areas. At the heart of what we do as tech analysts are storytelling. So, I believe, that this element, plus my experience in advanced research in AI and business strategy, will all come together in the new role.
Overall, though I’m optimistic about what the future holds for AI, I think the greatest positive from AI's advancement will mean that the ability for computers to learn to interpret us as opposed to us having to continuously learn and interpret computers.
M7: So, as the new Director of AI and Innovation at Microsoft, what is your vision?
NM: At Microsoft, we believe AI has the power to augment human ingenuity— it is the core to our mission of empowering every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. We’re focused on democratizing access to AI, empowering developers to innovate, industries to transform, and helping every person change society for the better. Even more specifically, just as every company today is a software company, every business will soon become an AI business. Ultimately, our aim is to help organizations make this transition, foster innovation, and ultimately succeed in their industries with AI.
M7: Speaking of digital transition and innovation, what do you think is essential to stay competitive in a market that is going through constant digitalization?
NM: Recently, I had the honor of being on the judging panel for the UK CIO of Year Awards 2021. And this critical question was one that came across in many of the leading submissions, after such a turbulent year with many changing business priorities. Essentially, what we observed is that leading, competitive firms in today’s climate have several attributes. They have strong leadership and a culture that embraces change, experimentation, and above all innovation. They embrace data to inform business decisions as well as the cloud to support the need for agility and resilience. They also partner well both within their industries and outside of them with large firms and startup organizations. There are other factors of course, but often it’s the various combinations of these elements that are the key attributes.
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At the heart of what we do as tech analysts are storytelling.
M7: That's an insightful take! With AI taking over the world, what are your predictions on AI changing our future in the next few years?
NM: There are so many areas of development - it’s really fascinating. There’s progress to come, for example, in transformer architectures and large-scale AI models, in reinforcement learning, multimodality, sustainable AI, or in human-to-machine interaction, to name a few. But there are many challenges to overcome as well, such as accessibility of the technology, misinformation, privacy, and ethical challenges with its advancement. Overall, though I’m optimistic about what the future holds for AI, I think the greatest positive from AI'sadvancement will mean that the ability for computers to learn to interpret us as opposed to us having to continuously learn and interpret computers. When applied correctly, AI will be hugely assistive for people from every nation, background, and digital ability. I believe it also has the potential to contribute towards solving some of society’s and science’s greatest problems, which is a hugely exciting prospect!
M7: AI surely does have endless potential! Lastly, how would you define your leadership style?
NM: I’ve had a few amazing leaders in my career who have taught me a lot and there are many aspects to this question - strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, always being available and supporting, empowering, and respecting, to name a few. But the biggest thing that I have reacted to in a great manager is the ability to inspire and to help me to produce my best work. I remember someone mentioning to me a while ago, “There are many companies grossly over-managed and severely under-led,” which I think sums it up nicely. Whilst I am by no means an expert in this area, I have always kept these elements in my mind over the years from some of my great leaders, managers, and mentors, in the past.
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