cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/38746129
Microsoft acknowledged Thursday that it sold advanced artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the war in Gaza and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages
aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages
Not the best advert for MS’s AI products, is it?
Dear Microsoft
We use your AI to commit genocide now.
Kind Regards, NetanjahuOr how they think it works?
Microsoft is the new IBM helping bring genocide to a country near you.
Like fucking iTunes forbidding its use for terrorism. Grow up.
“Ok, I mean, sure, we sold the Nazis punchcards, but seriously, what could they do with them?”
Should be required reading for anyone in tech. Bonus - great early history of punch cards and IBM.
Also: this article omits serious context about what the IDF does with the information Microsoft is describing!
Over a year ago, 972 wrote an explosive expose on IDF ai targeting. It’s all pretty blunt. A general name Yossi Sariel wrote a book describing how AI could automate industrialized killing, and these plans were put into practice to deliberately target civilian infrastructure when entire families were sitting down to meals. The tools included Lavender, which composed target lists that pretty much included any male over 14 and Daddy’s Home, which tracked targets generated by Lavender and generated strike plans when it determined that the target was at their home.
There’s no good reason why the Independent left this out. A general literally wrote a book about this, and it’s been a year since this information came out.
Once every few months I remember that there’s virtually no chance my name and information aren’t in these databases, especially now that my country has gone through a recent war phase. Even if I didn’t sign up to Instagram and Facebook when I was a teenager, my family, friends, and whole neighborhood use unscrupulous online services that can be used to map out communities like that. I live far from the border with Palestine but let’s not pretend that makes a difference.
However, the company said it had found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm people in the Gaza Strip.
I’m sure it’s technically true. Can’t find evidence if you’re not looking for it. Or if you’re actively sabotaging any such efforts. Or if you’ve deliberately created a framework that makes it easy and likely for any ‘evidence’ to disappear.
Phew that’s a relief.
Haven’t felt this good since that Theranos machine at Walgreens told me I didn’t have the cancer my doctors kept telling me I did.
However, the company said it had found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm people in the Gaza Strip.
A lawyer wrote that statement. I read between the lines that M$ has a don’t ask, don’t tell policy in regards to war crimes.
Everytime there is a genocide in the white man’s world there is an American company earning a fee ☝️
Israeli hostages? You mean prisoners of war?
Oh no, the people we sent blazing down there were getting caught!
They used it to make decorations for the drones and munitions.
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: Genocide Edition
Rick James: See, I never just did things just to do them. Come on, what am I gonna do? Just all of a sudden jump up and grind my feet on somebody’s couch like it’s something to do? Come on. I got a little more sense then that.
[pause]
Rick James: Yeah, I remember grinding my feet on Eddie’s couch.
What the fuck do you imagine a military - especially the Israeli military - does, exactly? How do you imagine they’re locating those hostages? I’m going to guess it involves a lot of rather unfriendly things done to Palestinians that they would classify as ‘harm’.
I trust the Israelis 🤡
