Microsoft addresses AI ethics in the Five Ideas for Five Years outline

Microsoft Europe has published the Five Ideas for Five Years outline, aimed at supporting a ‘strong digital Europe’. While applauding the EU for innovation and responsible use of technologies, the outline sets out to advance the debate around technologies and challenges such as climate change, curing diseases and public safety. The second chapter, Artificial Intelligence and Ethics, focuses on ethical issues arising from the increased use of artificial intelligence and cloud computing across the European industries. Discrimination issues related to the use of facial recognition systems are noted as the main challenge currently. According to Microsoft, the European Union decision-making should ensure development of ethical AI, based on the ‘common principles such as fairness, reliability, safety, privacy, security, and inclusiveness, and underscored through transparency and accountability’.​