Microsoft ends AI ethics team while getting closer to OpenAI • The Register

Microsoft has eliminated its entire team responsible for ensuring the ethical use of AI software at a time when the Windows giant is ramping up its use of machine learning technology. The decision to ditch the ethics and society team within its artificial intelligence organization is part of the 10,000 job cuts Microsoft announced in January, which will continue rolling through the IT titan into next year. The hit to this particular unit may remove some guardrails meant to ensure Microsoft's products that integrate machine learning features meet the mega-corp's standards for ethical use of AI. And it comes as discussion rages about the effects of controversial artificial intelligence models on society at large. Baking AI ethics into the whole business – as something for all employees to consider – seems kinda like when Bill Gates told his engineers in 2002 to make security an organization-wide priority, which obviously went really well.