Microsoft says it found “no evidence” that its AI technologies or cloud computing service Microsoft Azure have been used to target or harm civilians during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The tech giant conducted an internal review and engaged an external firm (which it did not name) to undertake additional fact-finding. The review process included interviewing dozens of employees and assessing military documents.

Microsoft confirmed that it provides Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMOD) with software, professional services, Azure cloud services, and Azure AI services such as language translation, as well as cybersecurity support, but denied these technologies are used to target civilians.

However, Microsoft pointed out that it “does not have visibility into how customers use our software on their own servers or other devices,” and that it does not have “visibility into the IMOD’s government cloud operations,” which use other providers.

“By definition, our reviews do not cover these situations,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.

In May, the company fired two employees who disrupted its 50th-anniversary event to protest the use of its tech by Israel.

Meanwhile, investigations by outlets like the Associated Press have alleged that commercially available AI models produced by Microsoft and OpenAI were used to select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon. The report noted that the Israeli military’s usage of the companies’ AI in March 2024 was nearly 200 times higher than before the Oct. 7 attack, citing internal company information shared with the news organization.

Hossam Nasr, an organizer of No Azure for Apartheid, criticized Microsoft’s statement, telling GeekWire it’s “filled with both lies and contradictions.” Nasr, a former Microsoft employee, said the company claims “that their technology is not being used to harm people in Gaza,” but also says “they don’t have insight into how their technologies are being used.”

In 2024, Google terminated 28 employees who participated in an office sit-in protest against the search giant’s role in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud contract between Google, Amazon, and Israel’s government and military.

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About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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