CALIFORNIA: Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos said it would support the US Department of Defence as technology companies vie for more defence contracts and the Pentagon seeks to modernise itself. “We are going to support the Department of Defence, this country is important,” Bezos said at an annual defence forum at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. Tech companies have faced challenges when trying to work with the Pentagon. Last year a defence programme, named Project Maven, set off a revolt inside Google, as some employees opposed Google technology being used in warfare. Those employees said it clashed with Google’s stated goal of doing no harm and cited risks around using a nascent artificial intelligence technology in lethal situations. While Bezos said he supported employees having passionately held views, he said it was up to the senior leaders of companies to provide guidance on what projects they would and would not do. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
