Microsoft to keep working with military
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella delivers a keynote address in May. Smith says Microsoft will extend its more than 40-year relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense because the company believes its home country should have a strong military with the best technology.
REDMOND, Wash. >> Microsoft plans to continue to provide its technology to the U.S. military, despite worries that advances in the field of artificial intelligence could empower weapons to act autonomously and kill people.
The company laid out its reasoning Friday in a blog post by Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president. He wrote that he and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addressed employee concerns about Microsoft’s military work in a regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, and conceded some workers are still uneasy about it.
Nevertheless, Smith says Microsoft will extend its more than 40-year relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense because the company believes its home country should have a strong military with the best technology.
U.S. economy strong in third quarter
The U.S. economy barreled ahead in the third quarter as consumers stepped up and spent more, keeping it on track for the best annual performance since 2005.
The government said Friday the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3.5 percent between July and September after the 4.2 percent pace in the previous quarter. But there were signs that the growth could cool in the coming months.
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Businesses remain hesitant to increase spending, despite the large corporate tax cut enacted late last year. If there is a slowdown in the economy, it could further unsettle the markets, which have slumped in recent weeks. The S&P 500 fell 1.7 percent Friday and is down nearly 9 percent for the month.
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