'A Brain-Inspired Approach' Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Notches Up With StreamMind Reveal

Business Insider

a day ago

Artificial intelligence (AI) research has done some pretty amazing things so far. We have modest video generation abilities, we have vast text writing capabilities, and we have plenty of other applications as well. But making an artificial intelligence that behaves like a biological intelligence requires sensory input, and tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) may have the solution therein. Microsoft calls it 'StreamMind,' and it was recently revealed. The notion is catching attention, but investors are proving skeptical. They sent Microsoft shares down fractionally in Friday afternoon's trading.
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Microsoft describes StreamMind as an '… AI system that responds to video in real time.' It also declares it '…a brain-inspired approach.' Basically, the system works in such a way as to detect visual data and process it about as rapidly as a human brain does, making it effectively able to 'see' a car coming, for example, and warn a user that a car is coming accordingly.
Such tools actually exist today, but there is a problem; the AI tends to get bogged down by analyzing every frame of that video instead of pointing out the one really important part: a car is coming. StreamMind changes this by using '…an event-gated network that separates fast perception from deeper analysis.' It can superficially scan for changes, and then, when one is detected—like a two-ton metal box on wheels suddenly appearing—it activates a large language model (LLM) that works accordingly. When the LLM is no longer needed, it is shut down, and superficial systems take over.
Volume Rebates Gone
In a move that will likely be less popular, however, volume rebates on Microsoft products are going the way of the dodo. Online-services prices are set to change November 1, which will put them in line with Microsoft.com rates and ultimately take 'programmatic discounts' out of the picture.
So why stage this sudden shift? Apparently, it is a matter of 'transparency,' despite the fact that some customers will end up paying more for their products. But Microsoft insists that 'this change reduces licensing complexity, enabling partners to invest less time evaluating Microsoft pricing and programs and more time working with customers on their business needs.'
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 34 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 24.85% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $623.34 per share implies 18.73% upside potential.