1 Close U.S. Military Ties2 No Official Policy
It looked at whether the companies were developing tech relevant to autonomous weapons, previous work on military weapons, and their prior commitments on the matter. It then contacted the companies for comment, with some interesting findings.
Close U.S. Military Ties
Indeed, it’s providing the U.S. military with its HoloLens 2 headset for use in warfare. INn a $480 contract, it’s proving augmented reality systems that tie in thermal vision, compass readings, virtual maps, and a gun reticle. Director of Microsoft Research Eric Hovitz told PAX that “Microsoft makes a priority of the responsible development and use of AI technologies. Microsoft’s cross-company Aether committee takes sensitive uses of AI technologies very seriously and deliberates carefully in making recommendations to our company’s leadership team about controls and guidelines, including the critical need for human oversight and human-in-the-loop on high-stakes, sensitive AI technologies.” However, PAX says this statement can’t be taken as the company’s official position on autonomous weapons. In a blog post last year, Microsoft President Brad Smith said the firm would continue to sell software to the military despite complaints about HoloLens 2 and its bid for the lucrative JEDI contract. “We believe in the strong defense of the United States and we want the people who defend it to have access to the nation’s best technology, including from Microsoft,” Smith said.
No Official Policy
Microsoft has not denied that it’s working on autonomous weapons and is yet to announce an official policy regarding their creation. Though some may picture an army of human-like robots, a bigger threat could be AI-controlled drones, artillery, or cyber weapons.
