Microsoft is attracting users to its generative AI software.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) sought to reassure investors that its significant investment in artificial intelligence (AI) is paying off, despite the fact that Microsoft customers are scrutinizing their cloud spending due to the current economic climate.

The use of GitHub Copilot, a little-discussed tool that can write computer code for programmers, provides some preliminary evidence.

The tool attracted 400,000 subscribers in a month after it was made available to the public in June of last year. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, more than a million people have used Copilot till date.

Microsoft this week said it would embark on a multibillion-dollar investment including supercomputer development and cloud support to power a startup it first backed in 2019, known as OpenAI, which is at the forefront of generative AI.

Copilot itself, as well as ChatGPT, a well-liked chatbot that Open AI released last year, rely on OpenAI's technology. Microsoft claims that ChatGPT, which can write both code and prose or poetry, will be available via its cloud.

In the event that it is updated, ChatGPT could potentially respond to any user query, giving Microsoft's Bing search engine a chance to challenge the market leader, Google, owned by Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.O). According to a previous Reuters report, Google is developing a significant AI launch of its own.

According to Nadella, the Azure OpenAI Service, which makes startup technology available via Microsoft's cloud, has already drawn 200 clients, including KPMG and Al Jazeera.