Microsoft Confirms Supplying AI to Israeli Military
Microsoft has confirmed that it has sold AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The technology giant maintains that these services were not used to harm people.
Responding to concerns from employees and the public about the Israeli military’s use of Microsoft Azure and AI services, the company conducted an internal investigation, assisted by an external firm. According to a statement released by Microsoft, “Based on these reviews, including interviewing dozens of employees and assessing documents, we have found no evidence to date that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza.”
Microsoft admitted to providing the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) with various software and services, including Azure cloud services, Azure AI services (such as language translation), and professional services. The company stated, “As with many governments around the world, we also work with the Israeli government to protect its national cyberspace against external threats.”
The company’s relationship with IMOD is described as a “standard commercial relationship.” Microsoft emphasized that all customers, including IMOD, are bound by Microsoft’s terms of service and conditions of use. These include the Acceptable Use Policy and the AI Code of Conduct, which require customers to implement responsible AI practices, such as human oversight and access controls. The policies also prohibit using Microsoft’s cloud and AI services in any manner that could harm individuals or organizations or affect individuals in ways prohibited by law.
Microsoft’s statement continued, “Based on our review, including both our internal assessments and external review, we have found no evidence that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct.”
This confirmation comes after earlier reports revealed that Microsoft delivered at least $10 million worth of computing and storage resources to IMOD this year. Microsoft clarified that militaries typically use their own proprietary software or applications from defense-related providers for surveillance and operations. The company emphasized that it has not created or provided such software or solutions to IMOD.
Microsoft also noted that it lacks visibility into how customers use its software on their own servers or devices, particularly for on-premise software. The company stated, “Nor do we have visibility into the IMOD’s government cloud operations, which are supported through contracts with cloud providers other than Microsoft.”
