Backlash erupts as Microsoft cuts AI ethics staff

Microsoft's new Bing Chat tool is making massive waves, but the tech giant now lacks a dedicated team to focus on implementing AI technology in a way that meets the company's guidelines. According to a new report from Platformer (via The Verge (opens in new tab)), Microsoft recently laid off one of the teams responsible for handling ethics in AI usage. This comes at a time when Bing Chat is exploding in popularity, with the tool pushing Bing to over 100 million daily active users. Platformer notes that while there is still a set of guiding principles in the form of Microsoft's Office of Responsible AI, there is no longer a dedicated team to interpret these principles in a rapidly evolving field of technology. "People would look at the principles coming out of the office of responsible AI and say, 'I don't know how this applies,'" said one former employee.