Most Azure subscribers

Now, there are countless ways such a tool could be abused — which Microsoft to its credit realizes.

(Similar avatar-generating tech from AI startup Synthesia has been misused to produce propaganda in Venezuela and false news reports promoted by pro-China social media accounts.)

Most Azure subscribers will only be able to access prebuilt — not custom — avatars at launch; custom avatars are currently a “limited access” capability available by registration only and “only for certain use cases,” Microsoft says.

But the feature raises a host of uncomfortable ethical questions.