Google abandoned a bid to work with with the US military after an employee urpoar over its use of artificial intelligence for the military. Other tech companies are bringing ethical questions to the table, too, Smith said, regarding those sorts of relationships.
Reiterating Microsoft's earlier statements that the company will continue to work with the US military, Smith said the company will at the same time "play a proactive role in addressing the ethical dimensions that require public policy attention" as concerns rise across industries — an issue that will inevitably be taken to Washington D.C.
The thorniest ethical tech question of the day, says Smith: facial recognition.
"Globally, this is an issue that’s just getting started."