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

[aud@fire.asta.lgbt]

@cwebber@social.coop it's kind of wild that all these people who consider themselves absolutely brilliant at business, numbers, software, etc, absolutely fail to understand that when "the first taste is free" you probably don't want to invest heavily into what they're selling

[deutrino@mstdn.io]

@cwebber so fucking glad I ejected from that entire poisoned ecosystem *checks watch* 18 years ago now

[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?

[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