Microsoft AI’s design head needs her staff to be AI-native by the tip of the fiscal yr

Yet Liz Danzico, Microsoft AI’s vice-preisent of design, noted that not all of her design and research team, which numbers about 200 employees within the broader lab, weren’t AI-native.

“We created a goal for our organization—that every person in the studio will become AI-native by the end of the fiscal year,” Danzico said during the Fortune Brainstorm Design conference in Macau on Tuesday,

Danzico said she helped put together an in-house AI course for her team, and that the response had been “tremendously positive.” AI has found its way into Microsoft AI’s products and internal communications, and its workers have been “feeling more satisfied and energized about the possibilities with AI.”

They’ve also been less fearful and anxious about it, Danzico said, after “experimenting with multiple [AI] tools.”

As Microsoft AI—led by CEO Mustafa Suleyman—continues to expand, Danzico also emphasized the importance of creating a workplace where workers are empowered to lean into uncertainty and embrace creativity.

“For diverse ideas to make it out, people have to feel safe to voice them, so [it is key to] make sure that that psychological safety is there,” she added. 

Social impact

Besides spearheading AI rollout on platforms like Bing and Microsoft Edge, the broader company is exploring how to democratize access to AI in society.

In December 2023, Microsoft inked a partnership with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)—the largest federation of labour unions in the U.S. This allows Microsoft to educate labour union workers on AI rollout, and convene summits where workers have a say in how their companies incorporate AI at work.

“That they [workers] are empowered to have that information—the ideas about what’s happening and unfurling in the market—is so important, so that when they go back to the bargaining table, their everyday jobs, and the ways that they touch our everyday lives, they’re going to be informed,” said Danzico.

All in all, Microsoft AI’s work centers on creating AI for people and the greater good of society, Danzico explained. “What unites us all is our commitment to the user, whether the user is at their office, at their desk, or working somewhere out in the wild.”

Clarification, Dec. 3, 2025: This article has been updated to note that Danzico’s comments referred to her design and research team at Microsoft AI.