Microsoft have lastly damaged their silence over reviews about the usage of Azure and Microsoft generative AI tech by the Israeli navy through the latter’s on-going invasion and bombardment of Gaza, which has led to the deaths of tens of hundreds of Palestinians.
In an unsigned statement published 15th May 2025, Microsoft affirm that they’ve equipped know-how to the Israeli armed forces through the assault on Gaza, which started following the killing and abduction of Israeli civilians on October seventh 2023. They contend, nevertheless, that their very own inner reporting has discovered “no proof so far that Microsoft’s Azure and AI applied sciences have been used to focus on or hurt folks within the battle in Gaza.” The information comes a number of weeks after the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions motion called on people to avoid Microsoft games and gaming services in protest on the firm’s dealings with the Israel Protection Forces.
In accordance with a number of investigations earlier this yr, together with a sizeable February report from the Associated Press, the IDF have made use of Microsoft’s generative AI providers extensively for fight and intelligence actions since October 2023. This contains the alleged use of genAI fashions to analyse and put together knowledge for the aim of focusing on airstrikes. The AP investigation – which is predicated on interviews with present and former members of Microsoft and the Israeli armed forces, along with inner firm knowledge and paperwork – additionally discusses the Israeli navy’s relationship with different huge tech corporations, together with Google, Amazon, Palantir, Cisco, and Oracle.
These reviews have intensified fears amongst many Microsoft employees that their work is getting used as an instrument of struggle and oppression. Again in Might 2024, Microsoft staff launched a petition, “No Azure for Apartheid,” demanding an unbiased audit for potential human rights violations. Microsoft management have taken a tough line with sure, extra seen protests in regards to the sale of Microsoft providers to the Israeli navy. In April this yr, they fired two people who spoke out at firm anniversary occasions.
Now, Microsoft try to reassure those that stay. Within the weblog publish, Microsoft announce the completion of an inner overview of claims that Microsoft know-how has been used “to focus on civilians or trigger hurt within the battle in Gaza,” with “extra fact-finding” equipped by an exterior agency. The weblog publish feedback that Microsoft’s provide of tech to the Israel Ministry of Protection is “structured as a regular industrial relationship,” and is subsequently topic to their acceptable use policy and AI Code of Conduct, along with their total commitment to human rights. Microsoft say that, based mostly on “each our inner assessments and exterior overview,” they’ve discovered no proof that the Israeli armed forces have didn’t adjust to both doc.
The weblog additionally notes that navy organisations “sometimes use their very own proprietary software program or purposes from defense-related suppliers for the forms of surveillance and operations which have been the topic of our workers’ questions.” Microsoft, it says, haven’t created something like this for the IMOD.
The weblog provides, nevertheless, that Microsoft did present the IMOD with “particular entry” to their applied sciences in the middle of “restricted emergency help to the Israeli authorities within the weeks following October 7, 2023, to assist rescue hostages”. Microsoft say they retained “vital oversight” throughout this era, “together with approval of some requests and denial of others,” in order “to assist save the lives of hostages whereas additionally honoring the privateness and different rights of civilians in Gaza.”
The publish additionally caveats that Microsoft shouldn’t have full consciousness of how the Israeli navy might have used any Microsoft know-how that runs on their very own servers. “That is sometimes the case for on premise software program,” it argues. “Nor do we’ve got visibility to the IMOD’s authorities cloud operations, that are supported via contracts with cloud suppliers aside from Microsoft. By definition, our critiques don’t cowl these conditions.”
It’s an especially transient response to a prolonged and disturbing sequence of claims, which expects the reader to take rather a lot on belief. The weblog publish doesn’t embrace the complete textual content of Microsoft’s inner and exterior assessments, nor does it reply to the element of the allegations made by the Related Press and different publications. It doesn’t even identify the agency employed to hold out “extra fact-finding” for his or her overview.
The No Azure for Apartheid motion have already known as on Microsoft to launch a full copy of their inner overview. “It’s totally clear that their intention with this assertion is to not truly handle their employee considerations, however slightly to make a PR stunt to whitewash their picture that their relationship with the Israeli navy has tarnished,” former Microsoft employee Hossam Nasr argues in an announcement, circulated by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Nasr and his colleague Abdo Mohamed had been themselves fired by Microsoft final yr, after they helped organise a vigil on the firm’s headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza. They’ve since joined the BDS boycott on Xbox and Microsoft gaming merchandise, which you’ll learn extra about on the official BDS site.
