How an attorney pivoted to become Microsoft’s first chief responsible AI officer

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Natasha Crampton, Microsoft’s first chief responsible AI officer, based in Redmond, Washington. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I’m Microsoft’s first chief responsible AI officer, and I’ve been in the role for almost seven years now — well before ChatGPT and the agentic AI systems we’re navigating now.

My job has two parts. There’s an inward-facing part that involves working side-by-side with our engineering, sales, and research teams to ensure they uphold our principles as they build AI systems. There’s also an external-facing part, which is contributing to the dialogue and conversation about the new laws, norms, and standards we need in this space.