Powerful new large-scale AI models like GPT-4 are showing dramatic improvements in reasoning, problem-solving, and language capabilities. This marks a phase change for artificial intelligence—and a signal of accelerating progress to come.In this Microsoft Research Podcast series, AI scientist and engineer Ashley Llorens hosts conversations with his collaborators and colleagues about what these new models—and the models that will come next—mean for our approach to creating, understanding, and deploying AI, its applications in areas such as health care and education, and its potential to benefit humanity.This episode features Senior Principal Researcher Emre Kiciman and Principal Researcher Amit Sharma, whose paper “Causal Reasoning and Large Language Models: Opening a New Frontier for Causality” examines the causal capabilities of large language models (LLMs) and their implications. Kiciman and Sharma break down the study of cause and effect; recount their respective ongoing journeys with GPT-3.5 and GPT-4—from their preconceptions to where they are now—and share their views of a future in which LLMs help bring together different modes of reasoning in the practice of causal inference and make causal methods easier to adopt.Learn moreCausal Reasoning and Large Language Models: Opening a New Frontier for Causality | Publication, April 2023The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond | Book by Peter Lee, April 2023AI and Microsoft Research | Learn more about the breadth of AI research at Microsoft

Amit Sharma, CTO of Dream11, shares insights on building 200M+ distributed systems, transitioning to React Native, and overcoming challenges at Dream11 and Netflix. Topics include scaling for IPL events, team building strategies, and the impact of performance optimization on user experience.

Amit Sharma, the founder and CEO of Narvar, discusses the challenges of offering free returns and whether retailers can afford them. They explore the evolution of online returns, the value proposition of companies, and the future of returns in a changing economic landscape. They argue for a more transparent conversation about return costs and propose that customers should bear the cost to create a fairer system. The chapter also shares valuable insights from their experiences at Apple and Walmart.