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Microsoft Workers' Letter Demands Company Drop $479 Million HoloLens Military Contract (theverge.com)
A group of Microsoft workers have addressed top executives in a letter demanding the company drop a controversial contract with the U.S. army. The Verge reports: The workers object to the company taking a $479 million contract last year to supply tech for the military's Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS. Under the project, Microsoft, the maker of the HoloLens augmented reality headset, could eventually provide more than 100,000 headsets designed for combat and training in the military. The Army has described the project as a way to "increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy." "We are alarmed that Microsoft is working to provide weapons technology to the US Military, helping one country's government 'increase lethality' using tools we built," the workers write in the letter, addressed to CEO Satya Nadella and president Brad Smith. "We did not sign up to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used."
The letter, which organizers say included dozens of employee signatures at publication time, argues Microsoft has "crossed the line into weapons development" with the contract. "Intent to harm is not an acceptable use of our technology," it reads. The workers are demanding the company cancel the contract, stop developing any weapons technology, create a public policy committing to not build weapons technology, and appoint an external ethics review board to enforce the policy. While the letter notes the company has an AI ethics review process called Aether, the workers say it is "not robust enough to prevent weapons development, as the IVAS contract demonstrates." "As employees and shareholders we do not want to become war profiteers," the letter sent today concludes. "To that end, we believe that Microsoft must stop in its activities to empower the U.S. Army's ability to cause harm and violence."
The letter, which organizers say included dozens of employee signatures at publication time, argues Microsoft has "crossed the line into weapons development" with the contract. "Intent to harm is not an acceptable use of our technology," it reads. The workers are demanding the company cancel the contract, stop developing any weapons technology, create a public policy committing to not build weapons technology, and appoint an external ethics review board to enforce the policy. While the letter notes the company has an AI ethics review process called Aether, the workers say it is "not robust enough to prevent weapons development, as the IVAS contract demonstrates." "As employees and shareholders we do not want to become war profiteers," the letter sent today concludes. "To that end, we believe that Microsoft must stop in its activities to empower the U.S. Army's ability to cause harm and violence."
Really? They employ how many thousands but only dozens signed it? They should fire every employee on that signed it.
It's hypocritical to take a half stance. Certainly many computers used in every US war are running Microsoft basic products like OSs and data bases. It's evident software is becoming a weapon. What do they suggest? leave the development to Russia and China? Humanity is far from leaving in peace, in the meantime you better keep up.
This kind of thing is getting a little ridiculous.
The pencils that sit on the desk at some military office somewhere are also involved with the end result. Should people object to making pencils that are bought by the military?
If these people have a problem with what the military does (and I'm not necessarily saying they shouldn't), perhaps they should get involved with politics instead. That's the right way to solve the problem, rather than hiding behind a letter and thinking that absolves them of something.
Most highly intelligent people will be anti war.
And now we get to read all the comments from the sociopaths who can't comprehend how anyone could be anti war.
It could happen, but it's not a good idea. It just gets Microsoft into a pissing match with righteous SJWs. They really should not be fired, just ignored. Employees don't set policy. If they are bothered by this, they can quit. Microsoft management should know that anything they say will be used against them, so just don't say anything beyond "Thank you for your input."
How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
Quoth George Orwell: "Those who “abjure” violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."
One thing the military is involved in a lot of places around the world is humanitarian relief, since they can bring in basically a small city with modern medical supplies, doctors, food and water purification plants on demand to any coast.
So don't forget you are demanding not to help THAT either. Seems fairly short-sighted and ill considered to me.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Good point, anyone who ever changes their opinion on anything is a hypocrite and should be condemned. Never learn or evolve your ethics, figure them out when you are a kid and stick to them no matter what.
Oh, and whatever you do don't think anything is less than black and white. There is literally no difference between typing up orders in Word and using a Hololens in the field to direct drone strikes.
Good point about China and Russia too. The ICBMs and the hypersonic cruise missiles won't deter them, but Hololens is sure to make them think twice. And that's definitely what it will be used for.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
that time is long, long gone. And that's before you take into account Globalism's effect. The rich and powerful have stopped allowing wars except for the occasional one to steal resources (oil mostly). For example, Pakistan has been glibly ignoring terrorists attacking India for decades and still no war there. Why? Bad for business.
At this point the only thing keeping wars going is the Military Industrial Complex. Folks standing up to stop feeding that beast is a good thing.
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"Anyone who clings to the historically untrue -- and thoroughly immoral -- doctrine that 'violence never settles anything' I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms." - Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Isaac Asimov was a great writer. His Foundation series remains, and will remain, one of the great classics of SciFi. But on this manner he is completely wrong. Violence is not the last refuge of the incompetent. Violence is the first choice of the incompetent. It is usually the only choice or the last choice of the desperate.
I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.