A recent proposal by the European Union for a temporary ban on facial recognition software has drawn opposing reactions from tech giants Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).
The European proposal outlines a five year moratorium on facial recognition software in public spaces until safeguards can be developed to protect against potential risks. The regulation will first be released as a proposal and will undergo a feedback period where different entities such as governments and commercial interests can voice their opinions. The new regulation stems from a pledge from the new regime in charge of the European Union; the E.U.'s new leadership pledged that new legislation regarding artificial intelligence would be proposed within the first 100 days of taking office.
Google has come out in support of the temporary moratorium, citing that it was important for regulation to be enacted and that it was unfavorable for companies who develop Artificial Intelligence systems to let the market decide its proper uses. "I think it is important that governments and regulations tackle it sooner rather than later and give a framework for it. It can be immediate but maybe there's a waiting period before we really think about how it's being used. It's up to governments to chart the course." Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated. Pichai's statement and Google's insistence that governments move to regulate AI and facial recognition falls in line with Google's general attitude towards facial recognition software, with the company refusing to sell facial recognition software to customers due to concerns of privacy and misuse.
Microsoft, however, has decried the ban, citing a belief that a blanket ban would be harmful to the development of facial recognition software, and that there were many different helpful ways that facial recognition could be used that would be impossible if the E.U.'s ban went into effect as intended. "I'm really reluctant to say let's stop people from using technology in a way that will reunite families when it can help them do it. The second thing I would say is you don't ban it if you actually believe there is a reasonable alternative that will enable us to, say, address this problem with a scalpel instead of a meat cleaver," says Microsoft President Brad Smith. According to Smith, it is more important to identify issues and then create regulation to address than rather than a blanket ban outright.