An Open Letter to Microsoft: Thank You for Having the Courage to Bid on The US Military’s Project JEDI
On 12 October 2018, an open letter to the senior leadership of Microsoft was submitted requesting the company not bid on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) initiative. As a new employee of Microsoft and a retired United States Marine, I feel that a similar open letter to the individuals who have drafted this request, offering an alternative viewpoint for their consideration.
I will begin this letter by thanking you for exercising your Constitutional rights as an American citizen. Service members took an oath to defend the Constitution and the rights of our fellow citizens. Although I admit that it hurts to see a fellow American advocate to make our military less capable of defending our nation and our values, it is the expression of this opinion that is precisely why I was compelled to serve for over two decades. Without pause, I would’ve gladly laid down my life to ensure your ability to peacefully protest and voice this concern was secured. Thank you for making our sacrifices worth it.
Like you, I also joined Microsoft to create a positive impact on people and society with the expectation that the technologies we build will enhance our lives on earth as well as assist in the reduction of harm and human suffering. The cruel reality is that there is no shortage of irrational actors in this world that would do harm to the innocent citizens who are attempting to exist peacefully. As each day passes, we face growing threats to our national security. Our adversaries have stated, quite publicly, that they are investing heavily in technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with the sole intention of reshaping the global order. By proposing to deny support to the United States , we guarantee that regimes like China and Russia have the opportunity to dominate a space that we all know has great potential for abuse. Would you trust those governments to respect your freedom of expression or to make ethical decisions in the employment of this technology? Does anyone believe that if Russia or China had invented or controlled the early development of the internet, that it would foster the expression of thought and access that we have come to expect as a right today?
The introduction of the JEDI contract by the DoD served as a great departure of our military over the last few decades due to a growing aversion to work with commercial companies. It has been an interesting departure, especially when you consider the technological revolution experienced following World War II. The national security challenges that were facing our nation at that time demanded the collaboration of some of the greatest technological and academic minds in the Western world. The military breakthroughs that took place during this period were responsible for allowing the first man to walk on the moon, the creation of the internet, and catapulted advances in communication and information technology that would serve as the foundation for the digital revolution we are enjoying today. Although the dreadful loss of life experienced during WWII will never justify these technological gains, it cannot be denied that the ‘Greatest Generation’ shaped the advantaged world we now live in.
I also feel obligated to highlight what I believe to be a misrepresentation of what constitutes service in our military. All too often, I see the word ‘lethality’ used to describe the DoD in its totality- this is a gross distortion of reality. Although I have certainly spent my fair share of time in combat zones throughout my career, it would be an inaccurate label to classify me solely as a ‘warfighter.’ Like my fellow service members, my role in representing my nation has been diverse and unpredictable: humanitarian to suffering people who experienced natural disaster in their home countries; instructor to foreign military members to ensure they understand their sacred responsibility to respect and defend the rights of the citizens they have been charged to protect; interim mother to the children of my fellow Marines who were deployed far from home; and many more I could never capture in a single sitting. To classify our military members as ‘warfighters’ alone is not only inaccurate, but creates a misunderstanding of the role our military plays throughout the world and I believe, feeds the dissent that divides our nation.
One of the most poignant moments of my life did not occur on a battlefield, but in the back of a Marine KC-130 in the Philippines, (Tacloban, Leyte) just days after typhoon Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia. After half a dozen flights into and out of the destroyed island, I witnessed a woman, similar in age to myself, holding tightly to a package of what looked to be the last of her personal belongings. I asked her to surrender the small bag so I could hang it on the wall of the aircraft, creating enough room for one more passenger. Her expression in response to my request required no explanation as it became instantly clear that the package she held with such reverence held much more than what remained of her personal effects. In this moment, my responsibility as United States Marine was not that of a warfighter…it was to be a mother. While standing in front of another mother who was experiencing pain that I hope never to know, my position as a US service member representing my Nation was to show empathy. After holding her hand for a moment, I removed my green undershirt so she could wrap the remains of her lifeless infant in something slightly more reverent than the only item she had access to…a plastic grocery bag.
That moment was not made possible because the United States DoD waged war on the Philippines, but because our Nation offered the support of its volunteer force to save the lives of thousands of displaced people. I do not have a monopoly on moments like this. I am certain my fellow service members would line up to offer similar stories that highlight the compassion and pride in helping others in need so many of us have experienced. During my career in the Marine Corps, I have provided humanitarian assistance to citizens of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan and twice in the Philippines. Without question, I believe access to the technologies like AI would’ve allowed for our military to offer more assistance to our fellow human beings who, in their greatest time of need, were emotionally sustained by the compassion of people beyond their borders.
In my limited time with Microsoft, I have seen firsthand tremendous technological capabilities that could make an enormous difference to our service members’ ability to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. I have also seen, prior to my career at Microsoft, that our military is not agile or nimble enough to bring those technological advances into our military at a rate commensurate with the threats that are aggressively knocking on our door. The rate of change in this data-driven world is accelerating. The choice is stark: work side by side with our technological giants and academic institutions to get it right, or accept the inevitability that someday soon we will be on the receiving end of those same technologies.
Like you, my opinion is reflective of many Microsoft employees, however my population believes that the technology we build should be used to defend the democracy that serves as the foundation for the opinions we are free to share openly. Our ability to empower every individual and organization to achieve more is the direct result of the freedoms we enjoy as an American company. I do not envy the positions of companies like Google who must make difficult decisions concerning their role in the national security space, but believe strongly that a path towards ensuring ethical use of AI can only be ensured if we are active participants in the conversation. The DoD, recognizing the ethical challenges, is in the process of developing a new Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), which will focus on short and long-term AI safety, ethics and humanitarian considerations across the full spectrum of DoD such as logistics, safety and yes- warfighting capabilities. Although the JAIC will not solve all of the problems associated with the potential abuse of AI, it is certainly a first step in the right direction. Worth noting, I would be willing to bet we will not see this type of consideration growing from inside the military institutions of our adversaries.
Two decades of distraction has pushed our military dangerously close to a technological vulnerability we may be unable to recover from. In your message, you mentioned the massive scope and shroud of secrecy surrounding JEDI, as to elude to exclusive malicious intent. I would like to challenge that thought by offering a single point for your consideration: the DoD required all bids for the JEDI contract to be delivered via compact disk rather than electronic transmission. Although my opinion on this topic is purely speculation, I find it hard to believe that a military that requires proposal delivery via CD is ready to slap AI on weapon systems to begin a reign of destruction and murder across the globe. I am more inclined to believe that technological shortfalls of the United States DoD are much more grave than anyone truly understands.
To the members of my new Microsoft family who question why US companies and academia should help the DoD maintain a strategic competitive advantage, consider the alternatives: a world dominated by unaccountable autocratic regimes applying artificial intelligence with few if any concerns about legal or ethical boundaries. I prefer to support a system that demands an accountable government that appreciates open and free debate, readily accepts responsible oversight, and makes careful distinctions between civil and military applications of advanced technologies. I would also like to offer that we are more closely aligned than you may realize. Like you, I also view AI as a force for good; a method to enhance humanity rather than endanger it. I want AI to offer the leaders of our Nation an opportunity to get to the left of conflict…win a war before a single shot is ever fired. To do this requires reinvigorating the same kind of partnership between DOD, industry, and academia that sparked the golden age of innovation over 50 years ago.
If you truly desire to maintain peace in the world, I would offer the right answer is to support the DoD through its efforts while continuing to advocate for ethical use of the technology. Demand accountability and transparency from the leaders of our company and country, but do not cripple our ability to ensure our nation remains free. I notice that you quoted John Gibson in your article, however it was not lost on me that you did not complete his sentence, eliminating, “…and providing the best resources to our men and women in uniform.” By walking away from the military responsible for the defense of our nation, you are not only actively ensuring our adversaries develop a much more lethal advantage over us, but you are also creating a much more dangerous environment for our service members to fight within…you must remember, our military will fight for our nation, whether or not they are fully prepared.