Hello all,
As you may need simply seen on the livestream or witnessed in particular person, I disrupted the speech of Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman in the course of the highly-anticipated fiftieth anniversary celebration. Right here’s why.
My title is Ibtihal, and for the previous 3.5 years, I’ve been a software program engineer on Microsoft’s AI Platform org. I spoke up at the moment as a result of after studying that my org was powering the genocide of my individuals in Palestine, I noticed no different ethical alternative. That is very true after I’ve witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to lift this difficulty. For the previous 12 months and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim group at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft. Makes an attempt at talking up at greatest fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two workers for merely holding a vigil. There was merely no different solution to make our voices heard.
We’re witnessing a genocide
For the previous 1.5 years, I’ve witnessed the continuing genocide of the Palestinian individuals by Israel. I’ve seen unspeakable struggling amidst Israel’s mass human rights violations – indiscriminate carpet bombings, the concentrating on of hospitals and faculties, and the continuation of an apartheid state – all of which have been condemned globally by the UN, ICC, and ICJ, and quite a few human rights organizations. The pictures of harmless kids coated in ash and blood, the wails of mourning mother and father, and the destruction of total households and communities have ceaselessly fractured me.
On the time of writing, Israel has resumed its full-scale genocide in Gaza, which has to this point killed by some estimates over 300,000 Gazans previously 1.5 12 months alone. Simply days in the past, it was revealed that Israel killed fifteen paramedics and rescue employees in Gaza, executing them “one after the other,” earlier than burying them within the sand — yet one more horrific battle crime. All of the whereas, our “accountable” AI work powers this surveillance and homicide. The United Nations and the Worldwide Court docket of Justice have concluded that this can be a genocide, with the Worldwide Prison Court docket issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
We’re Complicit
After I moved to AI Platform, I used to be excited to contribute to cutting-edge AI expertise and its functions for the great of humanity: accessibility merchandise, translation providers, and instruments to “empower each human and group to attain extra.” I used to be not knowledgeable that Microsoft would promote my work to the Israeli navy and authorities, with the aim of spying on and murdering journalists, medical doctors, assist employees, and full civilian households. If I knew my work on transcription situations would assist spy on and transcribe cellphone calls to higher goal Palestinians (supply), I’d not have joined this group and contributed to genocide. I didn’t signal as much as write code that violates human rights.
In response to AP information, there may be “a $133 million contract between Microsoft and Israel’s Ministry of Protection.”
“The Israeli navy’s utilization of Microsoft and OpenAI synthetic intelligence spiked final March to almost 200 instances larger than earlier than the week main as much as the Oct. 7 assault. The quantity of information it saved on Microsoft servers doubled between that point and July 2024 to greater than 13.6 petabytes.”
“The Israeli navy makes use of Microsoft Azure to compile data gathered by means of mass surveillance, which it transcribes and interprets, together with cellphone calls, texts and audio messages, in keeping with an Israeli intelligence officer who works with the methods. That information can then be cross-checked with Israel’s in-house concentrating on methods.”
Microsoft AI additionally powers essentially the most “delicate and extremely labeled tasks” for the Israeli navy, together with its “goal financial institution” and the Palestinian inhabitants registry. Microsoft cloud and AI enabled the Israeli navy to be extra deadly and harmful in Gaza than they in any other case may.
Microsoft has additionally been offering software program, cloud providers, and consulting providers to the Israeli navy and authorities, totaling hundreds of thousands in revenue. Struggle Prison Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly talked about his robust ties to Microsoft. A listing of those contracts with the Israeli navy and authorities could be discovered right here: An Introduction to Microsoft’s Complicity in Apartheid and Genocide
In reality, Microsoft is so deeply linked to the Israeli navy that it was simply yesterday designated one of many precedence boycott targets of the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) marketing campaign.
No matter your political stances, is that this the legacy we wish to depart behind? Is engaged on lethal AI weapons one thing you may inform your kids about? Can we wish to be on the fallacious aspect of historical past?
Despite the fact that your work might be unrelated to the cloud that the navy makes use of, your work advantages the corporate and permits it to tackle the contract. No matter your crew, you serve an organization that’s arming the Israeli occupation. It’s plain that a part of your compensation, irrespective of how small, is being paid by genocide.
Whether or not you’re employed on AI or not, you’ll be complicit in the event you do nothing. It’s now OUR job to take a vocal stand towards Microsoft AI’s involvement in crimes towards humanity.
For this reason I made a decision to talk up at the moment, and why I signed this vital petition to demand Microsoft minimize ties with genocide. And I urge you all to do the identical.
Name to Motion
Silence is complicity. However motion all the time has a response, irrespective of how large or small. As employees for this firm, we should make our voices heard, and demand that Microsoft does the fitting factor: cease promoting expertise to the Israeli navy.
In case you are additionally involved about this information, and also you additionally need your work for use ethically, I urge you to take motion:
Signal the No Azure for Apartheid petition: We is not going to write code that kills. And be part of the marketing campaign so as to add your voice to the rising variety of involved Microsoft workers.
Be a part of me in exhibiting our discontent on this thread. In the event you additionally really feel tricked into deploying weapons which goal kids and civilians, urge management (CC’ed) to drop these contracts.
Don’t cease talking up. Urge SLT to drop these contracts at each alternative.
Begin conversations together with your co-workers in regards to the factors above – so many workers could not know!
Microsoft’s human rights assertion prohibits retaliation towards anybody who raises a human rights-related concern: Human rights assertion | Microsoft CSR
Our firm has precedents in supporting human rights, together with divestment from apartheid South Africa and dropping contracts with AnyVision (Israeli facial recognition startup), after Microsoft worker and group protests. My hope is that our collective voices will encourage our AI leaders to do the identical, and proper Microsoft’s actions concerning these human rights violations, to keep away from a stained legacy. Microsoft Cloud and AI ought to cease being the bombs and bullets of the twenty first century.
Sincerely,
A involved Microsoft worker
