In a surprising move that reflects a radical shift in the world of artificial intelligence, media reports have revealed that Microsoft has begun training its sales teams to criticize competing artificial intelligence products, including ChatGPT from OpenAI and Claude from Anthropic. This move means that the largest investor in OpenAI (with billions of dollars) has now become a direct competitor. In this article, we break down the whole story for you.
What’s the Story?
According to a report published by Bloomberg on July 15, 2026, Microsoft held an internal meeting with its sales teams and explained a new plan: reducing dependence on OpenAI and Anthropic models and promoting Microsoft’s internal models, named MAI (Microsoft AI) and Copilot. Management asked sales representatives to clarify that Microsoft’s models are “more efficient and less expensive” than competitors’ products.
The Great Paradox: From Partner to Competitor
The paradox here is huge. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI since 2023 and was using GPT models within its products, such as Copilot and Azure. However, this massive investment has gradually shifted from a strategic partnership to a competitive relationship, for obvious reasons:
- Investor Pressure: Wall Street is pressing Microsoft to show returns on its massive investments in artificial intelligence
- Cost Reduction: Relying on external models like GPT means paying licensing fees for each query
- Product Control: Microsoft wants full control over the user experience without waiting for updates from a third party
What Does This Mean for the Average User?
For ordinary users in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, these developments mean several important things:
- Competition = More Options: More companies are competing in artificial intelligence services, which usually leads to lower prices and higher quality
- Microsoft Products Will Evolve Faster: With its own model (MAI), Microsoft can adjust Copilot, Office, and Azure in the way that suits it
- You Might See Comparative Ads: You may see marketing messages directly comparing Copilot to ChatGPT
- Possible Misunderstanding: Some users might think that ChatGPT and Copilot are the same thing, but now they are completely different
How Will This Affect Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is one of Microsoft’s largest markets in the region, and many government and private entities use Microsoft 365 and Azure products with Copilot. Also, ChatGPT is very popular in Saudi Arabia, especially among young people and users in the education and business sectors.
This competition between Microsoft and OpenAI means that the Saudi user will benefit from:
- Faster updates for Copilot products
- Possible reduction in artificial intelligence subscription prices due to competition
- More options between different models within the Azure Saudi platform
Important points about this competition
- Microsoft invested $13+ billion in OpenAI, but it is now training its teams on its competitor
- Microsoft’s internal MAI models aim to be cheaper and more efficient than GPT and Claude
- Experts see this as a natural step: any major company prefers to rely on its own technology
- OpenAI, on the other hand, is developing new partnerships with other companies and launching its direct products, such as ChatGPT Pro
- This competition will benefit the end-user with better technologies and lower prices during 2026-2027
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who uses Microsoft’s artificial intelligence products?
Anyone with a Microsoft 365 (Office) subscription uses Copilot. Also, companies that use Azure cloud. Students, developers, and employees in the public and private sectors benefit from these services.
Where is this competition taking place now?
The competition is global, but its impact is direct in Saudi Arabia through the Office store (Microsoft 365) and the Azure platform. Saudi cloud services are available through Microsoft’s data centers in Riyadh and Jeddah.
How much do Microsoft’s artificial intelligence subscriptions cost?
Copilot subscription comes with Microsoft 365 Personal (around $99 per year) and Microsoft 365 Business (from $12.50 per month per user). ChatGPT Plus costs $20 per month. Prices may change with the intensification of competition.
How long is this competition expected to last?
This is not a short competition — it is expected to last for years. Microsoft needs 1-2 years to develop its models to become a real competitor to GPT. The results of this competition will start to appear in the second half of 2026.
How do I start using Copilot or ChatGPT?
Very easy. To use Copilot: open Edge or Office and sign in with your Microsoft account. To use ChatGPT: open chat.openai.com and sign in with your email. Both are easy and available in Arabic.
