Microsoft exec suggests AI agents will need to buy software licenses, just like employees https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-executive-suggests-ai-agents-buy-software-licenses-seats-2026-4

[ramin_hal9001@fe.disroot.org]

@alice
Are you a chair manufacturer?
I'll lobby congress on your behalf to pass law requiring every AI agent have their own physical chair... for a fee equal to 1 percent of your eminent billion dollar goverment contract.


@crowbriarhexe @cwebber

[ag7gm@mastodon.radio]

@cwebber That's hilarious. Who's going to *make them* purchase instead of pirate it? The folks that taught them to not lie, er, I mean hallucinate?

Yeah. Give your head a shake.

[ramin_hal9001@fe.disroot.org]

> AI really makes them come up with the weirdest ideas

@Brokar to me, these weird ideas they come up with is evidence that they don't have a plan or a business model to earn profits (apart from selling AI to fascist dictatorships for mass surveillance) and are desperate to recoup the losses in their investments, and prevent the bubble from bursting.

@cwebber

[landelare@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@cwebber I, for one, am determined to make sure that all 0 of my AI agents are properly licensed.

[zvavybir@social.zvavybir.eu]

@Edelruth @cwebber No, you were correct, that's exactly the funny thing. Bosses were sold the idea that they could save costs by replacing employees with software (that is what caused the whole AI hype) and now they soon will still have to pay license fees for the software that their AI agents use (and of course the AI agent providers will soon(-ish) raise the price for their AIs too such that the AIs aren't all that much cheaper than humans (after all, squeezing as much money out of your customers is what capitalism is all about)).

[thankfulmachine@oldbytes.space]

@cwebber This is some of the funniest news I’ve read in a long time. You’ve made my day

[mikefordays@mstdn.io]

@cwebber
Uh, can we just get api access?

[diametraldaneben@ieji.de]

@cwebber hahahahaah! xD

[edelruth@mastodon.online]

@zvavybir @cwebber

Thanks for that. Interesting times, eh?

[zvavybir@social.zvavybir.eu]

@Edelruth Yeah…

[gh0stlym0use@mastodon.social]

@aud @cwebber for me while the taste is free i learn how to do it myself. My meth lab has only blown up twice.

[mayintoronto@beige.party]

@cwebber Yeah okay, but if my agents have agents, will they need a license too?

[kkarhan@jorts.horse]

@miss_rodent @cwebber anythibg to maximize #profits and reduce #accountability…

[silvermoon82@wandering.shop]

@cwebber
Microsoft Copilot 365 for Copilot 365 Group License

[davebauerart@mastodon.social]

@cwebber Until the agents decide to write their own clones of the software or discover open source alternatives.

[blogdiva@mastodon.social]

@cwebber the fucking audacity

[rasterweb@mastodon.social]

@cwebber When your software needs a software license! It's cool because your employer can cut you out of the loop and just keep paying for a license that the software that replaced you can use.

[shansterable@ohai.social]

@cwebber
Microslop: We think you will love our AI agent
Corp: No, we don't find it useful
MS: We will force it on you and raise our prices
Corp: OK, I guess we will fire employees now
MS: But wait, that will reduce our revenue
Corp: And save us money
MS: No, you will need to pay for the software used by the AI software we are forcing you to pay for
Corp: We'll see about that
#Microslop #AI #Extortion

[gray17@mastodon.social]

@cwebber only if AI agents can also join a union

[syllopsium@peoplemaking.games]

@blogdiva @cwebber No, it's not audacious, or at least not even slightly new.

Back in the day of Microsoft SQL Server 7 (before the web was a proper thing) Microsoft had not understood that there was nothing under the terms of the license preventing the purchase of a limited SQL connection license, putting it on a server, and then multiplexing those connections to a web server.

They subsequently edited the license for all new copies, (illegally) tried to retrospectively change the license for existing licences despite the fact it contradicted the previously issued hard copy, and boy by the time SQL Server 2000 arrived were they very clear that web servers needed a specific type of license.

If 'AI', or anything similar to the multiplexing described above potentially affects a revenue stream, they will modify license schemes to retain revenue.

There is no such thing as a free lunch when you don't control part of the solution stack.

You want audacious? Try Oracle or VMWare instead.