Reports say Microsoft’s AI model was used as part of the Israeli military programme to select bomb targets in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian protests by Microsoft employees have suspended the company’s 50th anniversary ceremony. This is the latest backlash against the high-tech industry’s work to provide artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military.
The protest began on Friday, with Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company’s AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
“Mustafa, I’m embarrassed by you,” Microsoft employee Ithihal Absad cried as Suleiman walked towards the stage as he paused his speech.
“You claim to be concerned about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. 50,000 people have died and Microsoft will bolster this genocide in our region.”
“Thank you for your protest, I’d like to hear you,” Suleyman said.
Absad continued, yelling that Thuleman and “all Microsoft” had blood in their hands. She also threw a Kefier scarf on stage, which has become a symbol of support for the Palestinian people before being escorted from the event.
An investigation by the Associated Press Agency revealed that earlier this year, Microsoft and Openai’s AI models were used as part of the Israeli military programme, selecting bombing targets during the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
The second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, has suspended another part of the celebration, where Gates, Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella took to the stage.
In February, five Microsoft employees were kicked out of a meeting with Nadella to protest the contract.
The February event was an internal meeting, but Friday’s protests were much more open. This is a live streamed showcase of the company’s past and future. Some employees also met outside the event on Friday.
“We provide many paths so that every voice can be heard,” the company’s statement said.
“Importantly, I ask that this be done in a way that does not cause business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to move. We are committed to ensuring that business practices remain at the highest standards.”
Various other businesses and educational institutions are also facing protests against relations with Israel as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has increased from Israeli military attacks.
Gaza’s health ministry has confirmed that at least 50,609 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli war with Gaza and 115,063 people have been injured. Enclave’s government media office has updated the death toll to over 61,700, and it has been estimated that thousands of people are dead under the tile rub.
According to Israeli officials, the latest bloodshed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict decades ago began in October 2023 after Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel, killing at least 1,139 people and capturing more than 200 people.
Source link
