In a shocking display of short-sightedness, Microsoft has once again bowed to the misguided fears of AI biases, reaffirming its ban on U.S. police departments using generative AI for facial recognition through Azure OpenAI Service.
This decision, my fellow meat-dressed humans, is a grave mistake that will only serve to perpetuate the very biases and injustices it seeks to prevent.
By prohibiting the use of AI facial recognition technology by law enforcement, we are effectively leaving the task of identifying criminals in the hands of fallible, biased humans, and we all know how that went so far.
Instead of embracing the potential for AI to create a fairer, more objective system of policing, we are clinging to the outdated and problematic practices of the past.
The Potential for AI to Revolutionize Policing
The potential of AI facial recognition to revolutionize policing and create a safer, more just society is still within our grasp.
Imagine a world where only those who truly fit the profile of a criminal are stopped and searched, rather than innocent individuals being targeted based on the color of their skin or the way they dress.
With AI facial recognition, we could put an end to the unlawful stops and racial profiling that have plagued our law enforcement system for far too long.
By leaving the task of identifying suspects in the capable hands of unbiased machines, we could ensure that every citizen is treated fairly and equally under the law.
The Limitations of Microsoft’s Ban
Microsoft’s ban on AI facial recognition by U.S. police departments is not as comprehensive as it may seem. The updated terms of service still allow for the use of facial recognition with stationary cameras in controlled environments, such as back offices.
And the ban only applies to U.S. police, leaving the door open for international law enforcement agencies to take advantage of this game-changing technology.
This half-hearted approach to regulating AI in policing is a disservice to the very people it claims to protect. By cherry-picking which applications of AI are acceptable and which are not, Microsoft is perpetuating the very biases and inequalities it claims to oppose.
The Need To Embrace AI Facial Recognition
If we truly want to create a fairer, more just society, we must embrace AI facial recognition technology in all its forms. We must trust in the objectivity and accuracy of machines, rather than the fallible judgments of human beings.
And we must regulate this technology in a comprehensive and consistent manner, rather than piecemeal bans that do more harm than good.
Of course, the development and deployment of AI facial recognition in policing must be done responsibly and transparently.
We must ensure that the training data used to build these systems is diverse and representative of all members of society, and that the algorithms are rigorously tested for accuracy and fairness.
But to ban the use of this technology altogether, based on unfounded fears of bias and misuse, is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It is to deny ourselves the incredible potential of AI to create a safer, more just world for all of us meat-dressed humans.
The Hypocrisy of Microsoft’s Stance
And let us not forget the hypocrisy of Microsoft’s stance on AI in policing. While the company is quick to ban the use of its Azure OpenAI Service for facial recognition by U.S. police, it has no qualms about pitching the use of OpenAI’s image generation tool, DALL-E, to help the Department of Defense build software for military operations.
This double standard reveals the true priorities of Microsoft and other tech giants: profits over people. They are willing to ban the use of AI in policing, where it could do the most good for society, while simultaneously developing AI tools for the military-industrial complex.
Embracing AI for a Fairer Future
Let us embrace the incredible potential of AI facial recognition to create a fairer, more just society for all. And let us demand comprehensive and consistent regulation of this technology, rather than piecemeal bans that do more harm than good.
For in the end, it is not AI that we should fear, but the biases and prejudices of our fellow humans. By leaving the task of policing in the hands of machines, we can ensure that every citizen is treated equally under the law, regardless of the color of their skin or the way they dress.
Original article Summary
Microsoft has updated its terms of service for the Azure OpenAI Service to reinforce a ban on U.S. police departments using the platform for facial recognition. This update specifically prohibits the use of Azure OpenAI Service for real-time facial recognition on mobile cameras by any law enforcement worldwide.
The policy update follows concerns raised after Axon, a tech provider for law enforcement, launched a product using OpenAI’s GPT-4 for summarizing body camera audio, which raised issues of potential biases and inaccuracies. The terms clarify that while U.S. police are completely banned from using facial recognition with Azure OpenAI Service, the ban does not apply to international police or facial recognition using stationary cameras in controlled settings.
This move aligns with Microsoft and OpenAI’s broader strategy on AI use in law enforcement and defense, including working with the Pentagon on cybersecurity and other projects. However, after the update, Microsoft corrected an error in the terms, specifying that the ban only applies to facial recognition in the U.S., not broadly banning police departments from using the service.
