The European Union's proposal for a temporary ban on facial recognition technology won backing from Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive Sundar Pichai on Monday but got a cool response from Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith.
While Pichai cited the possibility that the technology could be used for nefarious purposes as a reason for a moratorium, Smith said a ban would be akin to using a meat cleaver instead of a scalpel to solve potential problems.
"I think it is important that governments and regulations tackle it sooner rather than later and give a framework for it," Pichai told a conference in Brussels that was organized by the Bruegel think tank.