AI Frontiers

Who We Are

AI Frontiers was founded in October 2023 as a mission-driven lab within Microsoft Research to lead through one of the most transformative shifts in technology: Artificial Intelligence.  We exist to foster a culture and vision that resonates with this transformative era—where AI is reshaping how we work, interact, and innovate. 

Since our inception, we’ve delivered breakthroughs that not only advance the state of the art but also scale globally to create meaningful impact for people and organizations. Our portfolio spans model optimization techniques (Dion), synthetic data generation pipelines (AgentInstruct—now Microsoft Foundry Synthetic Data Generation (opens in new tab)), Small Language Models (Phi (opens in new tab) and Fara), agentic frameworks (AutoGen (opens in new tab)—now Microsoft Agent Framework (opens in new tab)), applications that advance human-AI interaction (Magentic-One and Magentic-UI), (opens in new tab) and agentic ecosystems (Magentic Marketplace).  

How We Work

At AI Frontiers, we combine the freedom to pursue high-impact ideas with a culture of focused, collaborative execution. We champion openness by publishing our research and contributing to open source, while driving work that advances science and delivers real-world impact. 

Our work is guided by three principles: clarity of vision, execution excellence, and deep collaboration. Together, these values enable us to move fast, adapt boldly, and work as One Microsoft to advance science and empower the world. 

AI Frontier’s Mission

We believe the true transformative promise of GenAI will only happen when we start looking at the world through an agent-native lens.  

This means stepping back to envision a world where agents and humans co-exist and interact seamlessly across personal and work contexts—free from the constraints of existing paradigms and processes.