Microsoft workers accuse company of trying to get customers “addicted” to AI while forcing it on their own staff and making them party to “human rights violations”

A group of Microsoft employees has published an open letter criticising the company’s rapid expansion of generative AI. They argue that mandatory AI use at work, sales to government and military customers, and investment in data centres create risks for staff, customers, communities and the environment.

The workers say employees are required to use AI with little training or clear rationale, leaving them to fix low-quality output amid heavy workloads, layoffs and reorganisations. They also raise concerns about AI tools being licensed to Israel’s military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, water use and emissions from data centres, and financial risks from AI companies investing in one another. Their demands include a greater role in AI strategy, better consideration of customer feedback and more training.