Davide’s goal? To bring Copilot to everyone. He’s passionate about making it accessible, enjoyable, and trustworthy. His AI journey began with a startup, and he’s since worked at Meta and Inflection AI. Now at Microsoft, he leads Copilot’s growth, creating a seamless experience across the Microsoft ecosystem. He’s sharing his insights on AI’s future and advice for aspiring product managers.

How would you describe your job and what you do?
I am in charge of Product Management across Copilot, currently focused on Growth. I believe Copilot can have a strong positive impact on people’s lives and my work helps make sure everyone can interact with Copilot on any device, have a great experience and build a trusted relationship.

How did you first become interested in generative AI and machine learning and what motivated you to pursue it as a career? 

When I was 22 I founded a startup that used NLP to help people express themselves on messaging apps. I then worked at Meta on Messenger, Instagram DM, WhatsApp, and built a platform for developers to create messaging assistants.

When I met Mustafa, Inflection AI only had 7 people, yet I was captivated by what the team were building. Six months before the ChatGPT launch, when few people talked about AI and LLMs, I instantly knew that our technology would redefine how people interact with computers. I immediately decided to join as the first consumer PM.

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills?
I have a masters in Computer Science from Oxford and one in engineering from Telecom Paris.

I worked for 12 years in product and engineering leadership roles, first as cofounder of my own startup, then at Meta, Inflection AI and Microsoft.

“I believe Copilot can have a strong positive impact on people’s lives and my work helps make sure everyone can interact with Copilot on any device, have a great experience and build a trusted relationship.”

Davide Bonapersona, Product Manager at Microsoft AI

What are you currently working on?
I am working on integrating Copilot across Microsoft’s ecosystem of products to provide a cohesive, full-featured experience to consumers who use our products.
 

Can you share an overview of your role as a Product Manager and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI? 
Product Management is about understanding user needs, technology capabilities, and market dynamics; identifying the most important problems we can solve for people; and support cross-functional teams of designers, engineers, researchers and marketers to launch products that people love.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work? 
User feedback and usability is at the core of my work. Everyone in the product management team works really hard to understand user needs, and build a product that earns user trust. For that, we continuously run user research and usability studies, read user feedback every day, and obsessively use the products. My friends and family are probably getting tired of me asking them to try the latest features!

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry?
So much of our personal and professional growth is tied to the information, advice and knowledge we have access to. Growing up I was lucky to have a PC at home and access to online forums and tutorials where I learned how to code. Later in life I was lucky to have great teachers, mentors, supporters and friends.

Now everyone has internet access, and yet information, advice and knowledge aren’t equally distributed and available. AI enables everyone to communicate with humanity’s greatest experts as naturally as we would chat with a friend, and benefit from personalized guidance, mentorship and help. I think it’s an incredible opportunity for everyone to learn and better understand the world and each other.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice?
I read a lot of industry articles, and over the years I built a great network of people in many areas of technology that helps me stay up to speed. I also continue programming in my spare time and playing with the latest models and techniques.

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring Product Managers who are just starting out on their own path? 
Join a startup, or if you have the possibility, start your own. It is by far the most formative and fulfilling environment for product managers, as you’ll have to learn to prioritize, wear many hats, collaborate with people from all professions and backgrounds, and quickly see the direct impact of your work. You learn more in 1 year of a early-stage startup than 2-5 years at mature companies. Don’t be afraid to take risks, and fail early and often.

Anusha, a Member of Technical Staff at Microsoft AI, is basically an AI sculptor, taking those raw “foundation models” and shaping them into something truly useful. She’s the one fine-tuning Copilot’s personality and skills, from data collection to algorithm tweaking. Her journey into AI started with a Siri internship (way back in 2013!), and she’s been hooked ever since. Now, she’s sharing insights into her work, the future of AI, and some advice for aspiring AI scientists.

How would you describe your job and what you do?
I’m a Member of Technical Staff, AI (MTS-AI), and I work on what’s often called “post-training” of foundation models, for consumer Copilot. The best metaphor for it is sculpting: foundation models (LLMs) are like clay, and the possibilities for what you can create with them are truly endless. The post-training process I work on involves sculpting this clay and imbibing it with personality and capabilities to turn it into the Copilot that users experience.
In the day-to-day, this involves a variety of steps: collecting data to demonstrate the behavior we’d like Copilot to have; creating evaluation benchmarks that measure model performance for the tasks we’d like Copilot to be good at; improving our post-training algorithms and recipe; and working with other engineering teams to ship our latest and greatest models to all Copilot users.

How did you first become interested in generative AI and machine learning and what motivated you to pursue it as a career? 
My interest in generative AI and machine learning began with an internship at Siri in 2013 while I was in college. It was my first industry experience with machine learning and natural language processing (NLP). Seeing how these algorithms were applied to real conversational AI products that deliver value to users was eye-opening. This experience inspired me to take more NLP and AI courses and pursue research opportunities as part of my coursework.

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills?
I hold a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Computer Science, with a specialization in AI during my Master’s. I was fortunate to work on several research projects in conversational AI and had the opportunity to publish papers at and attend major NLP conferences. Additionally, I’ve worked on building AI products at Meta, Microsoft, and Inflection AI, gaining valuable knowledge from each experience.

“One of the most exciting things for me has been that we’re developing technology simultaneously with users discovering its best use cases.”

Anusha Balakrishnan, Scientist at Microsoft AI

What are you currently working on?
I work on post training for Microsoft Copilot, and I’m currently focused on improving Copilot’s overall personality and its ability to retrieve and use real-time information from Bing.

Can you share an overview of your role as a Member of Technical Staff, AI and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI?
As an MTS-AI working on post training, my primary goal is to push the performance of our current models by driving innovations on all aspects of the model post training process. This involves, in no particular order: running a lot of experiments to test new ideas; keeping up with new papers in the LLM space; working with feedback from our human annotators and users to understand how to improve our models; and working closely with product and platform teams to ensure the models we train are shipped fast and responsibly.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work?
User feedback is the strongest signal we can get to guide how we need to improve our models! It comes to us in many forms, from user research studies to app store reviews to thumbs down feedback in the Copilot app. One of the biggest areas we’re investing in right now is developing methods for improving our models based on all these different forms of user feedback. One very interesting aspect of this is how exactly we improve Copilot based on the feedback; we’re currently thinking both about how to improve Copilot for all users based on user feedback, as well as how to improve each user’s personal experience based on the feedback they provide.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry?
The generative AI space has been moving rapidly, and the most significant shift we’re currently observing is towards agentive models that can perform actions such as searching the web or running code on your behalf, and reasoning or “thinking” models like OpenAI’s o1, which dedicate time to reasoning before answering any question. I think the intersection of these (models which spend time doing research using various tools before providing an answer) is going to fundamentally alter how people do their work in every industry, all the way from doing software engineering at Microsoft to conducting drug discovery research.

What excites you as an MTS-AI with the integration of AI?
One of the most exciting things for me has been that we’re developing technology simultaneously with users discovering its best use cases, and the speed of innovation has been incredible to see. For my own work, it’s been fascinating to see how each model innovation reshapes the roadmap for what we’re building or how we’d go about building it; features or capabilities that seemed very complex just a year ago are now much easier to implement, and that means we need to adapt our approaches and expectations in real-time.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice?
AI X (formerly Twitter) has been one of the best sources for me. Other than that, I keep up with interesting papers from the major labs/companies and those that get shared in my extended network (including the reading groups we have here at Microsoft AI!)

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring AI scientists who are just starting out on their own path? 
I would say the most important skill to hone is the ability to acquire new knowledge and quickly learn from new trends. This means taking courses and reading blog posts, technical reports, etc., to familiarize yourself with the terminology and the state of the art in AI models. For me personally, hands-on experience has always been the best teacher, and I’ve found that even half an hour spent on playing with the API for a new model or product can teach you a lot.

Wendy Hsu’s journey into software engineering started by taking a step into the unknown. Initially unsure of her career path, she followed a friend into a coding bootcamp and the rest is history. With her days now powered by coffee, curiosity, and problem-solving, Wendy influences the user experience of how people interact with AI on our platforms. Always one to learn and teach, Wendy proves passion can be found and nurtured.

How would you describe your job and what you do?
I am a Software Engineer. Most of my day consists of coffee, meetings, documentation and coding.

How did you first become interested in engineering and what motivated you to pursue it as a career?
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this career path by following a friend into Coding Bootcamp, which I knew nothing at the time about nor had particularly any interest in. It was a period in my life where I didn’t have much direction and was open to trying anything. Software development was incredibly challenging for me in the beginning and took me completely out of my comfort zone. I think this was also the reason it drew me in more and more, as every day I feel like I learn something new.

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills?
Most of the knowledge and skills I possess today come from hands-on experience on the job. I find that I learn the most when there is a problem where I have to dig in layers of code, in this process I become more familiar with different parts of the repository. Another great way to retain the information is to teach or explain to another developer how to do something, this reiterates what you already know.

“Curiosity is a gift. Use this to find out where you fit in.”

Wendy Hsu, Software Engineer at Microsoft AI

What are you currently working on?
I was recently driving the MSN Daily Brief podcast powered by Copilot, that was incredibly fun, because I got to get a glimpse of what the MSN brand is going to be shaped into and the capabilities of Copilot. The next thing on my list is to improve the performance on msn.com and bing.com. This is going to set the stage for the next generation of Reimagined MSN. Stay tuned!

Can you share an overview of your role as a Software Engineer and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI?
There is a big push to incorporate AI into all aspects of our platform as well as our daily work stream. Under our org, we don’t directly work with AI models, but we are heavily involved in influencing the user experience on our platform who interact with AI that are integrated into our platforms.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry?
Last year, Microsoft took the lead in showcasing breakthrough AI technology paired with close collaboration with OpenAI, on top of that, taking first-mover advantage over competitors. This put the Microsoft brand synonymous with AI, when people think of AI, they think Copilot and Microsoft. This year, Microsoft will need to work harder to stay in the lead and find ways to differentiate itself from others in the same space.

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring engineers who are just starting out on their own path?
Curiosity is a gift, use this to find out where you fit in. Passion is something that can be nurtured along the way. Most important of all, hard work and 100% effort will catch up to your aspirations, true story.

For AJ Kimbembe, design is more than a lifelong career goal — it’s a way to shape human experiences, solve problems, and create intuitive connections between people and technology. Beyond his professional achievements designing for mobile and emerging form factors, AJ’s kindness and commitment to fostering the next generation of designers shine through his nonprofit design studio, where he mentors and inspires students to realize their own creative dreams.

How would you describe your job and what you do?
I’m a designer. I know there are usually additional qualifiers appended to the job to help make it more specific, yet I prefer to keep it at that. It helps me remember that I don’t have to try to fit myself and what I like to do into a neat and tidy little box. I typically carve what I do into 4 main quadrants:

• Vision & Strategy: Shaping current and future work
• Execution & Delivery: Solving complex problems, collaborating with partners across functions
• Design Excellence: Ensuring outstanding design quality
• People & Culture: Building teams and contributing to internal and external communities

How did you first become interested in design and what motivated you to pursue it as a career?
I’m one of those people that always knew what they wanted to do from a young age. I’ve always wanted to become a designer although for most of my schooling, it never really seemed like a potential career path. Luck and supportive family helped me eventually find my way to design school.

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills?
I studied in France, where I was born and raised. I have a master’s degree in Design, another master’s degree in Engineering of VR & Innovation along with a bachelor’s degree in Material Science & Engineering. Unrelated academic credentials accumulated along the way on my journey towards design.

“We design for people. Although we set success metrics… we’re only truly successful when we’ve meaningfully moved the needle for the people using our products.”

AJ Kimbembe, Designer at Microsoft AI

What are you currently working on?
I’m part of Microsoft AI, on a team expert with designing for mobile, along with novel or less common form factors. We work closely with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), co-imagining seamless ways we can bring Copilot to whatever context people are and whichever device people use.

Can you share an overview of your role as a Designer and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI? 
MAI is one of Microsoft orgs specifically dedicated to building products primarily indexed on solving people’s needs as opposed to a more Enterprise focus. As designers, a huge part of our job is to understand who the people are we are designing for, what problem they experience in their daily lives and how what we collectively design can help them. At MAI, we constantly do our best to figure out how to lead the organization’s product and feature development all while staying focused on the needs and problems of the people we design for.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work? 
We design for people. Although we set success metrics at the onset, we’re only truly successful when we’ve meaningfully moved the needle for the people using our products and getting feedback and conducting usability studies are some of the ways we get signals that we’ve moved the needle. For the feedback we gather after building, we use it to refine the product, evolve the features, clarify or simplify interactions.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry? 
That’s a fantastic question, one that I’m actually quite excited to investigate the answers to in the coming years. In my opinion, Gen AI offers a lot of promises, some of them may take a longer time and additional technological breakthroughs to fulfill than others. Even then, Gen AI has transformative potential already today when it comes to human-machine interfaces (HMI). With it, the bar for people to get computers to do their bidding can be considerably lowered, along with the bar for performing complex, cross-program tasks with a computer: “If you can spell it, you can do it”.

Natural language, spoken or written, is powerful for compound actions, combining the capabilities of several services and/or simultaneously accessing information from several repositories of data. Advanced natural language processing unlocks “conversation-as-a-UI”: allowing interactions with general computing devices to start to resemble human-to-human interactions, lowering the skills required to perform complex, computer-aided tasks. It also opens the door to what I call “supercharged automation”, where automated functionalities in a computer’s operation use models that are also shared with humans, enabling capabilities for human-readable inferences, compound actions and automated-yet-inspectable decision making. It can also enable more statefulness and for general computing devices to augment a person’s memory through operating using conversational models for relations to people, places and things. There’s so much more to talk about on the topic, but it’s better done with a snack and coffee.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice? 
Following the work of brilliant designers, agencies and companies is my preferred way. Talking with other folks in our industry is also something I love doing. I also am the co-founder of a non-profit design studio, where I work with students to help them connect with industry talent and craft projects for their portfolio. It’s such a nourishing, inspiring experience every time and it definitely forces me to keep up with current and emerging trends

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring designers who are just starting out on their own path? 
I don’t feel like I have much advice to give. Hard work, curiosity and credentials sure help, but in all honesty, I’ve been incredibly lucky so many times along the way and I’ve had many kind people help me and root for me on my journey. Luck is beyond the things one can truly control but being ready to seize the opportunity when luck strikes might be how the most unique opportunities can happen. I believe in kindness, I believe in lifting others, I believe in sharing and collaborating as things that may help create opportunities for luck to strike.

Sonny Khan may be a Gates Scholar with a degree from business school, but he credits his most valuable lessons to experiences beyond the classroom. Part storyteller and part problem-solver, this “Forbes 30 Under 30” honoree’s work connects trailblazing technology to the people it’s made for. Sonny’s commitment to deeply understanding their needs forms the cornerstone of his daily drive, helping us both learn and navigate the best path toward the future.

How would you describe your job and what you do? 
I’m a product marketing manager working on our mobile apps. The role really clicked for me because it combines creative storytelling with problem-solving – you’re constantly figuring out how to make the most powerful technology meaningful to all users. I help ensure what we’re building actually resonates in the market, craft the narratives around why it matters, and work on go-to-market strategy to bring it all together.

How did you first become interested in product marketing and what motivated you to pursue it as a career? 
I didn’t know what product marketing was in college until I discovered the Microsoft ACE program. Back then, I was really into both the creative side of marketing and the technical side of products – I loved understanding how things worked and then figuring out how to communicate that value to others. That, along with Microsoft’s focus on empowering users through technology really resonated with me, and motivated me to join the company.

“I get to see both sides of this transformation – how the technology is evolving and how people are actually using it in their daily lives. That’s what makes me optimistic about where [AI] is heading.”

Sonny Khan, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft AI

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills? 
I graduated from the Ross School of Business in 2020, but honestly, the most valuable experience didn’t come from the classroom. During college, I founded a non-profit (Paani Project) focused on providing clean water to women and children in developing communities. It started as this small idea, but watching it grow to impact over two million people taught me so much. When you’re building something from scratch, you learn really quickly how to understand what people actually need. You figure out how to tell a story that moves people to action, how to adapt when things don’t go as planned, and how to scale something bigger than yourself. Those lessons about really listening to users, crafting compelling narratives, and driving impact – they’re exactly what I tap into every day in my product marketing role.

What are you currently working on? 
Making sure Copilot is in everyone’s pocket as soon as possible.

Can you share an overview of your role as a product marketing manager and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI? 
I started working on our consumer AI when it was part of Bing, and now I’m focused on the Copilot app. It’s been fascinating to be part of this transformation and to see how we went from “here’s a cool AI feature” to “this could change how people interact with technology.” My role has evolved with the product too. I spend a lot of time trying to understand what users actually want from AI in their daily lives, not just what’s possible. Then I work with our teams to influence that into something meaningful, whether it’s helping prioritize features that solve real problems or figuring out how to tell the story in a way that connects with people. The technology is incredible, but at the end of the day, it’s all about making sure it actually makes sense in people’s lives.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work? 
User feedback and usability drives everything we do – it’s my personal north star. When you’re working on something as new as Copilot, you can’t just guess what people want. Recently, we noticed users kept running into friction with a specific feature in our mobile experience, and we were seeing this pattern across different feedback channels. So instead of just making assumptions, we dug deeper. We talked to users, analyzed the data, and really tried to understand the root of the problem. That insight helped us prioritize the right improvements , and more importantly, it helped us explain to users why these changes mattered. That’s what makes the work so exciting – you’re constantly bridging the gap between what users need and what the product can deliver.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry? 
AI is transforming everything, but not in the way many fear. I believe it’ll become a natural extension of our work, enabling people to focus on the meaningful aspects of their jobs while making routine tasks more efficient.

What excites you as a product marketer with the integration of AI? 
What excites me is how it’s becoming this helper that lets people focus on what they actually care about. Like in my role, AI helps me process user feedback faster and spot patterns I might have missed, which gives me more time to focus on the creative parts of storytelling and strategy that I love. I see this playing out across every industry – AI handling the routine stuff while people get to dive deeper into the meaningful work that machines can’t replicate. Working at Microsoft, I get to see both sides of this transformation – how the technology is evolving and how people are actually using it in their daily lives. That’s what makes me optimistic about where this is heading.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice? 
I stay as plugged in as I can through social media and following subject matter experts (SMEs) in the space. What’s most exciting, though, is going on different platforms to observe how people actually share their way of using AI in their daily lives. The most catching insights come from seeing how users take a product and use it to solve unique problems in ways nobody expected.

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring product marketers who are just starting out on their own path? 
Get really good at being curious about products – not just how they work, but why they work. When you use an app or a product you love, ask yourself what makes it click for you. Why did they design it this way? How are they telling their story? This kind of thinking helps you develop product instincts that go beyond the drawing board. Also, talk to users whenever you can; really listen to how they describe their problems and what excites them about solutions. At the end of the day, product marketing is about connecting dots between users, products, and possibilities.

For Mahsa Ershadi, great user experiences aren’t just designed — they’re discovered through deep research. As a Principal User Experience Researcher, Mahsa blends psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and AI to shape technology that truly understands people. From large-scale surveys to immersive ethnographic studies, Mahsa uncovers the nuances of human behavior to inform and refine Copilot’s user experience and bridge data with empathy.

How would you describe your job and what you do? 
As Principal User Experience Researcher, my role is to bridge the gap between human behavior and technological design by providing data-driven insights that shape the user experience. I employ a diverse range of research methodologies to ensure that every aspect of Copilot is optimized for our users. This includes large-scale surveys to capture broad behavioral trends, participatory research and co-creation sessions that involve users directly in the design process, and moderated interviews that allow for in-depth exploration of individual experiences. Additionally, I leverage observational studies and ethnographic methods to uncover the more subtle, unspoken aspects of user behavior. Each of these methodologies provides a unique lens through which we gain valuable insights into user needs, preferences, and pain points. By synthesizing these approaches, I ensure that Copilot is not only intuitive and usable but truly aligned with the cognitive and emotional drivers of the people who interact with them. Ultimately, my role is to transform research findings into actionable strategies that drive meaningful, user-centered design.

How did you first become interested in User Experience Research and what motivated you to pursue it as a career?
My interest in user experience research grew from a desire to understand the patterns behind human decisions and how cognitive processes influence problem-solving and behavior. This curiosity drove me to study psychology and cognitive neuroscience, fields that revealed the intricate ways our brains shape actions and choices. As I delved deeper, it became clear that the key to designing technology that resonates with users lies in understanding how people think and feel at a fundamental level.

What excites me most is the way these two disciplines—psychology and neuroscience—inform the development of AI. By understanding cognitive biases, decision-making processes, and the brain’s intricate wiring, we can design AI that doesn’t just respond to commands but anticipates, adapts, and aligns with human behavior in a deeply meaningful way. It’s not just about creating smarter machines; it’s about building digital companions that truly understand and respond to the human experience, which is the crux of what I do every day.

“It’s not just about creating smarter machines; it’s about building digital companions that truly understand and respond to the human experience, which is the crux of what I do every day.”

Mahsa Ershadi, Principal UX Researcher at Microsoft AI

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills?
My interest in user experience research emerged from a fascination with understanding how people think, make decisions, and solve problems. I started my academic journey with a BSc in Genetics and Molecular Biology at McMaster University, where I was intrigued by how complex systems operate at both the microscopic and behavioral levels. This curiosity expanded as I pursued a Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto, where I explored how individuals engage with and process information.

As I delved deeper into cognitive neuroscience and learning with an EdM from Harvard University and later a PhD in Psychology from Boston College, I began to see the powerful intersection between human cognition, emotional responses, and technology. I realized that to design truly impactful digital experiences, you need to understand the complexities of human behavior—something that requires not just technical knowledge but an understanding of how people think, feel, and make decisions. This perspective is what drives my work today, shaping the way I approach AI development to ensure it not only meets functional needs but resonates with users on a deeper, more intuitive level.

What are you currently working on? 
At Microsoft AI, I lead research across a diverse array of high-impact initiatives, allowing me to contribute both strategically and deeply to projects that shape the future of Copilot. I oversee user segmentation and target audience understanding, ensuring that Copilot and its features are aligned with the right market fit. This involves identifying key user segments, delving into their needs, behaviors, and pain points, and ensuring that our solutions are not just functional but truly resonate with a wide range of users.

In addition, I lead research into the integration of Copilot across various sectors, with a particular focus on education. This includes gaining a deep understanding of the needs of students, educators, and parents, and ensuring that Copilot is designed and deployed to meet those needs, ultimately enhancing the learning experience and making a positive impact in education.

A significant portion of my work also centers around exploring the potential of multimodal AI—integrating both voice and visual inputs, as well as incorporating wearables, to create more intuitive, engaging, and immersive user experiences. This includes understanding how wearable devices can augment interactions with AI, making them more responsive and contextually aware. Furthermore, I am focused on embedding personality into generative AI, ensuring that interactions don’t just function but feel human, emotionally resonant, and deeply connected with the user.

The breadth and diversity of these initiatives empower me to leverage my expertise in human cognition, behavior, and emotion, shaping Copilot so that it not only responds but truly understands and connects with our users in a meaningful, impactful way.

Can you share an overview of your role as a User Experience Researcher and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI?
As Principal User Experience Researcher at Microsoft AI, my role revolves around deeply understanding our users—their behaviors, needs, motivations, and pain points—so that these insights can directly inform and guide product design. I spend my days engaging with a diverse range of users: from current users to understand what they like and what improvements they’re seeking, to churned users to uncover why they left, and prospective users to identify barriers that prevent them from adopting Copilot.

In line with Mustafa’s philosophy, “users say it best,” my days are centered around real, authentic feedback. I dig into the psychology of user decision-making, focusing on understanding the “why” behind their behaviors and choices. This user-centered approach is fundamental to shaping products that aren’t just technically sound, but that genuinely resonate with the people who use them. By incorporating these insights, I help ensure that we create user experiences that feel human, intuitive, and impactful—ultimately leading to more satisfied users and deeper engagement with Copilot.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work? 
User feedback is the bedrock of everything I do. It’s not just about soliciting likes or dislikes—it’s about observing behavior, interpreting the nuanced subtleties of user interactions, and leveraging those insights to continually refine and iterate. As a Psychologist, I immerse myself in understanding both the obvious and the more hidden patterns of user feedback, looking beyond surface-level responses to uncover deeper motivations and underlying drivers. This ongoing, iterative process is what shapes the design and evolution of Copilot. I firmly believe that creating exceptional user experiences requires constant evolution, grounded in actionable, real-world user insights. Feedback is not merely a step in the process—it’s the cornerstone of all decision-making, guiding every aspect of how we shape and improve technology.

This is especially crucial in frontier areas like generative AI, where the technology is still nascent and unfamiliar to many users. In these early stages, it’s vital to understand how people interact with, perceive, and make sense of such emerging technology. By deeply engaging with user feedback, I can ensure that Copilot evolves in ways that are intuitive, accessible, and genuinely valuable to users, helping bridge the gap between innovation and adoption.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry? 
AI is poised to radically transform the field of user experience research, ushering in a new era of personalization and adaptability. By leveraging AI’s ability to analyze vast amounts of data, we can predict user behavior with remarkable precision, creating experiences that are not only responsive but anticipatory. This data-driven approach will also enable real-time insights into how users engage with technology, allowing us to make quicker, more informed decisions. However, as powerful as AI is, it’s crucial that we balance its capabilities with genuine human empathy. Technology should not overshadow the nuanced emotional and psychological factors that shape user behavior—it should enhance the experience by aligning with the very human nature of users. In an increasingly AI-driven world, the most successful products will be those that maintain an equilibrium between data and human connection.

What excites you as a User Experience Researcher with the integration of AI?
What excites me most about AI’s integration is its capacity to bring an unparalleled depth of understanding to user behavior. AI enables us to move beyond surface-level observations, diving into complex patterns within large datasets to predict user needs, optimize experiences, and create truly personalized interactions at scale. For me, the potential to transform our ability to create meaningful and intuitive experiences, tailored to individual users, is both fascinating and profoundly aligned with my commitment to crafting digital environments that resonate deeply with people.

The ability to create a truly new digital entity—a generative AI companion—is what really excites me. Copilot has the potential to address a wide range of human needs: from offering personalized, real-time support in learning, mental health, or personal development, to providing companionship for people who feel isolated or need assistance with tasks. By making AI more emotionally intelligent and responsive, we have the opportunity to shape interactions that feel human, with the ability to adapt to the unique needs of each user. This vision of AI as a genuine companion, rather than a tool, is both thrilling and full of untapped potential.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice? 
Staying ahead in a field as dynamic as user experience research requires a combination of curiosity, continual learning, and collaboration. I immerse myself in the latest academic research, particularly in neuroscience, psychology, and AI, to ensure I am well-versed in the scientific underpinnings of user behavior. I also make it a point to attend industry conferences and participate in professional forums where the cross-pollination of ideas and methodologies can spark innovation. Additionally, I value the insights shared by colleagues and peers, particularly in interdisciplinary collaborations, as these offer fresh perspectives on emerging practices. In a rapidly changing field, I embrace the ongoing challenge of adapting and expanding my knowledge base, always driven by an inquisitive mindset that fuels growth.

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring researchers who are just starting out on their own path? 
To those beginning their journey in user experience research, my advice would be to embrace both the analytical and empathetic aspects of the role. The ability to interpret data is invaluable, but understanding the human behind the numbers is just as essential. Equip yourself with both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and remember that the most impactful insights often emerge when you approach problems with curiosity and adaptability. The field is evolving at an extraordinary pace, and flexibility will serve you well. Above all, I encourage aspiring researchers to stay grounded in real-world applications—connecting theory with practice is where user research truly makes its mark and drives meaningful change in products and experiences.

As AI continues to advance, the opportunity to create something entirely new—a truly empathetic, personalized AI companion—is one of the most exciting frontiers in UX research. Aspiring researchers should be ready to challenge the boundaries of traditional UX and explore how AI can enhance the most human aspects of technology.

AI isn’t just a technology to Nando de Freitas — it’s a lifelong pursuit of understanding intelligence itself. From training neural networks 30 years ago to leading cutting-edge research today, he empowers teams to push the boundaries of multimodal AI. As a Vice President at Microsoft AI, Nando is committed to shaping AI that is both thoughtful and human-centered, believing in its potential to improve lives.

How would you describe your job and what you do? 
I am part of a team that aims to advance AI and empower users with it.

How did you first become interested in AI and what motivated you to pursue it as a career? 
I started training neural networks more than 30 years ago because I wanted to know how brains work, what is intelligence, and what is consciousness. It was one of the possible final year undergraduate projects available to me at Wits University in South Africa. Back then, this was a very esoteric topic and very few people cared about it, but I felt that understanding intelligence and harnessing it wisely was the most important thing to do. I still believe this. I had great teachers too. The project was fun, and allowed me to connect math, code, and hardware in building diagnoses tools for control valves used in the South African mines. I sold the ideas and made a little bit of money, which for a 24-year-old student was a huge deal. I no longer had to work long hours selling beer to pay for my studies, I could now simply train neural nets and get scholarships. Pretty sweet I thought.

“Everything will change. AI is the most transformative thing that humanity has experienced since language.”

Nando de Freitas, VP of Microsoft AI

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills? 
At Wits University, I studied electrical engineering. The degree back then involved a lot of math, physics, signal processing, control, information theory, electromagnetics, hardware, and software. It was the perfect background to understand neural nets and to train them. However, what made a big difference is that I had amazing teachers, who empowered me to grow.

Despite this, I was planning to abandon it all and get a job to bring home the bacon because I used to believe that that was the responsible thing to do, and what people expected of me. Then, two big things happened. First, I was introduced to a professor from Imperial College of London, England. I would have never dreamt of going abroad and doing a PhD, but when I spoke to this prof, who to me was like a god descended from Mount Olympus, I realised that I could be as smart as those people in the UK or USA.  For a Portuguese boy, often the victim of racial abuse during Apartheid, this was a huge revelation. I still remember a nice old lady telling me that everyone in the town was proud of me because they never thought a Portuguese boy could go to university and do well. A great many people suffered far more than me.

The second life-changing event was my mother telling me, right after the violent murder of my dad, that he had wanted me to continue with graduate school instead of getting a random job. I had got it all wrong. My loved ones had believed in me, but I hadn’t.  So, after many rejections, I got into Trinity College, Cambridge, and later UC Berkeley. Eventually I became a machine learning professor at UBC and Oxford University. In Cambridge, I learned a lot of probability, statistics, speech, and computer vision. At Berkeley, I learned computer science. Again, I was fortunate to have amazing teachers and mentors. Good teachers are heroes to me. I have tried to give back by helping to lay the foundations for education efforts in Africa and Latin America, including the deep learning Indaba and Khipu AI.

What are you currently working on? 
I am a member of the multimodal team, which focuses on perception and generation, e.g. to understand what an image is about, or to generate a fully interactive movie or game.

Can you share an overview of your role and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI? 
I am a VP, which basically means I do my best to empower a group of exceptionally talented engineers and researchers to achieve ambitious goals. The team is everything. I learn so much from everyone.

I also like to take time to do my own work often. I love keeping up with AI papers, learning, coding, and understanding what people in my team are doing.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work? 
Feedback is super important. I won’t get into details here, but I strongly recommend the book “thanks for the feedback”.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry? 
Everything will change. AI is the most transformative thing that humanity has experienced since language.

What excites you as a VP with the integration of AI? 
If harnessed well, AI could empower every person to live are more meaningful and healthier life. As a VP at MAI, I try to put users first when creating new products and experiences.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice?

These days it is nearly impossible to go anywhere where people aren’t talking about AI. Sometimes, I find it a bit overwhelming.

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring product marketers who are just starting out on their own path? 

Believe in yourself, dream big, and know you too are responsible for shaping the future of humanity and our planet. You are not perfect, and you will likely make many mistakes, but if you have a dream, curiosity, openness to feedback, self-reflection, empathy, and compassion, you will likely succeed.

Chieu Van may have trained as a painter in the past, but today she artfully orchestrates people, processes, and priorities to amplify design’s impact. With a foundation in studio art and graphic design, Chieu has an “ability to speak the design language” to bridge creativity and operations, working closely with design leaders to deliver ambitious AI initiatives. Fueled by resilience, Chieu thrives on empowering her teams.

How would you describe your job and what you do?
I’m a DesignOps PM and my hybrid role touches on Team Ops to help build the right product culture, and Product Ops to support core business priorities. During my tenure I’ve helped scale a massive visual design update across our consumer-facing web experiences, building a team and production pipeline from the ground up. I also get to work on interesting projects such as design systems coherence and partner with creative agencies on vision sprints to explore what’s next on the horizon. It is the intersection of people and process that I enjoy most!

How did you first become interested in product design and what motivated you to pursue it as a career?
To be honest, I was unaware that DesignOps was an established discipline. However, there is a grassroots initiative underway at Microsoft to better define this role in order to support our career growth. I fell into this role because our organization needed more rigor around the business. Streamlining design processes and removing friction ultimately leads to building better products. Titles in my profession can vary, including Design UX PM, DesignOps PM, Studio Manager, or Producer. Despite the titles, our unique value empowers teams to focus on their core priorities.

I knew I wanted to work within the design field and be in a space that challenges you every day. I love the learning aspect of my job and how I can make an impact on the team culture and overall product quality.

What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills?
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and formally trained as a painter. My passion for the creative process led me to further my education, obtaining an Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Design. Although I do not work directly as a designer anymore, my ability to speak the design language and comprehend fundamental principles has enabled me to quickly adapt and flourish in this field.

“I’m providing the scaffolding to help the team do their best work as they design products with AI in mind.”

Chieu Van, Design Ops at Microsoft AI

What are you currently working on?
I provide dedicated ops support to the Brand and Design Systems Team within our MAI Design & Research Studio. I partner closely with the Principal Creative Director to ensure our team is working on the right things. Currently I am leading an effort to operationalize a massive design system initiative that will allow us to uphold quality, scale fundamentals like new AI patterns in a cohesive way and evolve our visual design language at scale. It involves implementing a communications strategy to keep key stakeholders informed about our progress on delivering product roadmap options.

Can you share an overview of your role as a Design Ops PM and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI?
My PM skillsets matched with product, team and culture expertise enables me to orchestrate and optimize people, process, and craft to amplify design’s value and impact at scale. I partner with design thought leaders to run our MAI Design & Research Studio like a business, to advocate decision making, accountability, trade-offs, and prioritization. Though I‘m not directly working on a product feature, I’m providing the scaffolding to help the team do their best work as they design products with AI in mind.

What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work?  
Leveraging user feedback to identify unmet user needs can be the difference between table stakes and driving innovation to differentiate our product from other competitors. If we make a hypothesis, it should be grounded in research if we’re aiming to be relevant and meaningful to our users. This is core to our design process, and we iterate based on these insights to build better user experiences. As a Design Ops PM I helped document how we work in a Design Sprint Playbook to capture best practices around these design fundamentals.

With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry?
I recently visited the Inclusive Tech Lab on our Redmond campus and was amazed to learn how AI can help level the playing field and benefit the disability community. We can design AI to be inclusive and promote accessibility. For example, text to speech technology has made strides so that drafting a document or email is streamlined to avoid cognitive overload. There is so much potential considering our global audience with diverse experiences.

What excites you as a Design Ops PM with the integration of AI?
In my own day to day role I’m using AI to take on tasks like recapping meeting notes and wordsmithing emails so I can dedicate more time on being strategic and relationship building. There is a lot of excitement around incorporating Gen AI into our workflow and an appetite for learning. I am curious to see how automation can expedite the design process, encompassing everything from conceptual exploration to establishing a production pipeline that creates assets consistent with our product brand.

How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice? 
I love how our team encourages exploration and learning as part of our work culture. We’ve hosted multiple lunch and learns driven by individuals who are passionate about new tech. For example, my team facilitated an introduction to AI tools to emphasize the importance of staying relevant and creative in the evolving landscape of design tools. We touched on the role of creative direction in using AI tools and being mindful of the ethical implications of AI-generated content.

Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring DesignOps PMs who are just starting out on their own path?
I am here today because resilience is my motto. My journey has been shaped by my experience of being a first-generation refugee. Throughout my career, I have embraced the ethos of building from scratch, fostering a commitment to lifelong learning, and appreciating the journey in the face of challenges. Seek out mentorship to learn from others and stay inquisitive!