Artificial intelligence is the most consequential innovation we have seen in a generation, with the transformative power to address society’s most complex problems and create a whole new economy—much like what we saw with the advent of the printing press, electricity, and the internet.
It is a moment so big that it would be shortsighted for us to ignore the power of collaborating across the AI ecosystem—and the possibilities and potential that stand to be born from it. That is what brings us together—a shared understanding of what the stakes of this moment require and the role innovators big and small play in expanding opportunity and maintaining economic competitiveness. Our two firms believe that Little Tech and Big Tech can work successfully together, both to build a broader innovation ecosystem and collaborate on public policy initiatives.
Our two companies might not agree on everything, but this is not about our differences. It is about jointly recognizing that the policy choices—or missteps—we make now will determine whether the U.S. can continue our long and proud history of fostering innovation and seeing startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs succeed. After all, we both know a thing or two about the little guy working to achieve greatness from their garage. That is the story of Microsoft and the mission of a16z.
We both firmly believe that when it comes to AI, the opportunities are enormous and that our way forward to building a new AI economy is by spurring innovation and fostering competition. The best way to encourage innovation while also ensuring safety and security is through a variety of responsible market-based approaches and business models, including open-source AI. Open-source models have contributed indispensably to major advances in technology and research for decades, often by reducing or eliminating power imbalances between major institutions and scrappy upstarts, allowing the academic and startup community to have greater access and build upon existing knowledge while also offering real-time peer review.
a16z views competition and innovation through the lens of Little Tech: small businesses and startups. a16z published its policy agenda for Little Tech in July, proposing a series of policy ideas to promote AI innovation through regulation that creates an even playing field across all industries. The goal of the Little Tech Agenda is to ensure that public policy supports startups, providing entrepreneurs the “freedom to research, to invent, to create jobs, to build the future.”
Microsoft is committed to making large-scale AI infrastructure investments that only a Big Tech company with our scope and size can afford, creating a platform that is affordable and easily accessible to everyone, including startups and small firms. These infrastructure investments are essential to creating opportunities for new businesses to experiment and grow in the AI economy. In February of this year, Microsoft announced a set of principles (referred to as the AI Access Principles) to govern its operations and deliver on this commitment. One primary tenet that informs Microsoft’s AI Access Principles is the critical need to “spur innovation and competition across the new AI economy.”
Together, we believe in a competitive and broad ecosystem that harnesses the potential of academic research and business innovation, including a vital role for open-source innovation that will unleash the ideas of tomorrow to make life better for everyone and our country more secure and prosperous. By coming together, we hope to drive innovation and creativity and further live up to our highest aspirations and ideals that have defined the U.S. for generations. These are the policy objectives to get us there.
Microsoft and a16z jointly recognize an opportunity to advance public policy that will allow American entrepreneurs and innovators to do what they do best—build new tools and businesses that solve problems, create new jobs and opportunities, and enable startups to flourish. Ensuring that companies large and small have a seat at the table will better serve the public and will accelerate American innovation. We offer the following policy ideas for AI startups so they can thrive, collaborate, and compete.
We obviously live in a tumultuous time, often characterized by disagreements among people and groups. But as in every age, we need to seize opportunities to find common ground. The United States has built a tech ecosystem that has helped fuel the nation’s economic growth for more than half a century. As reflected here, we believe that Little Tech and Big Tech can contribute even more in the decades ahead by coming together. We can build on each other’s strengths, and we can advocate together for public policies that will serve innovation and the nation’s broader interests.
Ben Horowitz is a Cofounder and General Partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Brad Smith is the Vice-Chair and President at Microsoft.
Marc Andreessen is a Cofounder and General Partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Satya Nadella is the Chairman and CEO at Microsoft.