Leaked Documents Reveal Microsoft Wants Its AI to Be 'Addictive'

An internal document detailing the strategy for Microsoft's new AI personal assistant Scout (formerly ClawPilot) has leaked, sparking controversy. According to a report by 404 Media, the document explicitly states that Scout's immediate goal is to "make people addicted."

The document is understood to have been written by senior executives including Scout's project lead, Omar Shahine. The first step of the launch plan is to make users routinely rely on Scout across Microsoft's various product lines, including Word, Outlook, Teams, and Edge.

In response, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly denied the document, calling it "ridiculous." He argued that AI's goal is not to increase user dependency, but to augment human effort and help drive economic growth.

However, 404 Media pushed back on Nadella's explanation, pointing out that the document's authors are key figures directly leading the project. A Microsoft spokesperson stated that Scout's purpose is not to increase users' screen time, but to boost work efficiency and free up users' time.