Mustafa Suleyman has high hopes for the future of superintelligence and its impact on humanity.
During a conversation at AFROTECH™ Conference 2025, he joked that he grew up playing “Snake” on a Nokia phone, which was supposedly a “phenomenon” when it launched in the late ’90s. Suleyman’s fascination with technological advancements never wavered, and his enthusiasm remains strong as the CEO of Microsoft AI.
He shared his thoughts on superintelligence, stating early on that it “must always work in service of humanity.” He also offered his predictions for it by 2040. He expressed optimism about its potential to benefit humankind, believing that if developed successfully, it would align with human interests and improve the standard of living.
Suleyman explained that it is already capable of world-class medical diagnostics and continues to advance in emotional intelligence and autonomous action.
“It’s going to learn to use APIs, send emails, make phone calls, interact with us,” he explained during the AFROTECH ™ panel, which was moderated by Blavity Inc. COO and Co-founder Jeff Nelson and attended by 1,200 people.
Suleyman emphasized the importance of social intelligence, pointing to Microsoft Copilot’s latest feature that enables groups of people to chat with AI simultaneously.
“One of my principles is very much that we should not be having AIs that take people away from the real world, but draw other people in collectively and encourage you to go back out into your real-world human connections. And social groups are a big part of that. I love that,” Suleyman said.
He went on to suggest that AI could also help tackle challenges in energy consumption, which could ultimately lower the cost of essentials like clothing, travel, and food.
“Is it able to invent new materials, new drugs, new science, which make everything radically cheaper?” Suleyman said. “I think the No. 1 problem that I’m excited about from a consumer perspective is if we could reduce the cost of energy by 100 times, two orders of magnitude, I think that there’s a very good chance in the next 15 years that AI really does solve that problem. That is a meta solution. It’s more than a general-purpose technology.”
He continued, “Everything that we consume, our clothes, our flights, our food, our houses, all of that is a function of the price of energy. So reducing that cost essentially reduces the cost of consumption and living for absolutely everybody. I think it could unlock a very, very different lifestyle. In that world, you have to wonder what would people choose to do with their time if the cost of living was so, so, so, so low, like really minuscule low? I think that’s a kind of vision of abundance which is very exciting.”
AFROTECH™ Conference 2026
If you found these insights from Suleyman helpful, expect even more gems from the leaders of today as the conference prepares to return to Houston next year in November.
Suleyman shared his enthusiasm being surrounded by innovative minds in tech and business in a statement shared with AFROTECH™.
“I was excited to join the most creative and innovative minds in tech and business at AFROTECH™ this year. As AI continues to reshape the creator economy and society at large, it is critical that we remain a supportive partner for creators to build with,” Suleyman said. “Through our presence both here at AFROTECH™ and the House of BlackTechxcellence, we can continue learning and listening to creative voices at the forefront of culture.”
Feeling FOMO? Don’t miss another AFROTECH™ Conference. Secure your early bird ticket now for 2026.
