In a plot twist straight out of a dystopian sci-fi flick, American tech giants have cleverly transformed our beloved AI into a deadly weapon of war. While we sipped lattes and scrolled through TikTok, companies like Microsoft and OpenAI have been supercharging Israel’s military tactics in Gaza and Lebanon, leading to an alarming spike in civilian casualties that is enough to make anyone cringe.

For years, the military-industrial complex has leaned on private companies to whip up custom autonomous weaponry, but what’s happening now is on a whole new level. Many of these AI models were not designed for warfare; they were engineered for mere convenience in the tech world, leaving many to wonder: who gave tech the right to decide who lives and who dies?

Ever since the brutal surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, it seems that the Israeli military has been on a tech bender. Reports indicate that the use of AI to sift through mountains of intelligence data has skyrocketed, all thanks to our favorite Silicon Valley pals. The findings are horrifying, revealing the dark underbelly of commercial AI usage in active combat.

A whopping estimate of 50,000 lives lost, alongside the devastation of nearly 70% of buildings in Gaza, begs the question: have we, the consumers, inadvertently become part of this blood-soaked cycle? The Israeli military’s response to the Hamas attack, which left around 1,200 dead and many hostages taken, has seen an exponential growth in its reliance on tech, categorizing AI as a “game changer” in the battlefield.

Heidy Khlaaf, an AI expert, couldn’t have said it better: “This is the first confirmation we have gotten that commercial AI models are directly being used in warfare”. As we scroll through our feeds, we must remember who’s pulling the strings. Microsoft’s long-standing relationship with Israel’s military has seen the volume of AI services it provides grow rapidly, leaving ethics in the dust.

From cloud computing to data processes, Microsoft Azure is now a significant part of how Israel gathers and analyzes intelligence for its military operations, essentially turbocharging its targeting capabilities. In a world where bytes and bits can decide life and death, users should certainly reconsider where they are sending their dollars.

Even Google and Amazon aren’t off the hook here, with their Project Nimbus contract cementing their roles in providing AI services to the Israeli Defense Forces. As if that wasn’t enough, both companies have recently softened their stance on military use of AI, clarifying that their technology might just be used to save (or end) lives.

In the fight for justice and humanity, can we really turn a blind eye to how easily tech, and our consumer habits, contribute to atrocities? The revolution may not be televised, but it is certainly being programmed. Wake up, folks. The future of warfare is alarmingly intelligent, and it might just be powered by the devices we can’t live without.