"I've lately taken to talking about computing more as going from a world where today they work at our command to where they work on our behalf," said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft.

"As powerful as computers are... they're still a tool. If you haven't done an apprenticeship and you don't know how to master the tool, you don't get as much out of it as you might," Mundie said.

Mundie addressed a group of university professors and government officials at the company's annual Faculty Summit, held on Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington.