Several Microsoft employees recently published an open letter addressed to the company's CEO and its president calling on them to cancel the company's US$479 million contracts with the United States Army. The letter, titled "HoloLens For Good, Not War," was submitted in response to the company's recent acquisition of a government contract that would involve the use of its HoloLens augmented reality technology for training and active battlefield use.
Rival augmented reality firms, such as Magic Leap and Lockheed Martin, reportedly also fought to win the military contract. Among the dozens of companies that applied, Microsoft ultimately won the multi-million deal. The contract will involve the delivery of more than 100,000 HoloLens augmented reality goggles to the US Army.
According to sources, the US Army had previously developed a new program called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), which would allow soldiers to see different telemetry and data during live combat. The system apparently needed a platform to run on that contained its own holographic computer to display thermal data, vital signs, night vision, and other information in real-time.
Some employees at Microsoft apparently didn't like the idea of the product they worked so hard to develop being used for war. The open letter, which has since become viral on social media, noted that the use of the HoloLens with the IVAS system is nothing more than a system specifically designed to efficiently kill people. The use of the device would also effectively "gamify" killing. This would result in the distancing of soldiers from the reality of what they are actually doing.
Aside from requesting for the company to immediately cancel the contract with the US Army, the open letter also called for Microsoft to implement stricter ethical guidelines for its product's usage. The letter specifically mentioned that the use of their products and technology to harm others is not acceptable. Employees also called for the use of an external ethics review board that would be able to validate any new contracts and deals to ensure the proper use of the company's technologies.
The contract was awarded to the company late last year and Microsoft is already taking steps to deliver its side of the agreement. It is not yet clear if the open letter will be able to undo the already signed contract. Microsoft's President Brad Smith previously defended the company's action in a post online, which mentioned that Microsoft is only helping the United States develop a strong defense by giving it access to its technologies.
