
By The Pancake of Heaven! - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Google has removed its commitment to refrain from utilizing artificial intelligence for military or surveillance purposes in its newly revised ethics policy regarding this influential technology.
In the earlier iteration of its “AI Principles,” the California-based tech company had pledged not to engage in AI developments that “cause or are likely to cause overall harm,” which encompassed weaponry and surveillance practices that contravene “internationally accepted norms.”
The updated policy, revealed on Tuesday, asserts that the company aims to develop AI “responsibly” and in accordance with “widely accepted principles of international law and human rights,” yet it omits the previous stipulations concerning weapons and surveillance.
In a blog post detailing the revised policy, Google DeepMind’s chief, Demis Hassabis, along with senior vice president of research labs, James Manyika, stated, “We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights.”
They further emphasized that “companies, governments, and organizations that share these values should collaborate to create AI that safeguards individuals, fosters global growth, and enhances national security.”
Google initially released its set of AI principles in 2018 following employee protests regarding the company’s involvement in the United States Department of Defense’s Project Maven, a project that investigated the application of AI in assisting the military with target identification for drone strikes.
Google decided against renewing its contract with the Pentagon in response to significant backlash, which resulted in several employees resigning and thousands more signing a petition opposing the company’s participation in the project.
Later that year, the technology giant declared that it would withdraw from the competition for a $10 billion cloud computing contract with the Pentagon, citing concerns that it could not guarantee alignment with its artificial intelligence principles.
Google has revised its ethics policy following the participation of Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of its parent company Alphabet Inc., in the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20. This event saw the presence of other prominent tech leaders, including Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos and Meta’s chief Mark Zuckerberg.
Shortly after assuming office, President Trump revoked an executive order issued by former President Joe Biden, which had set specific guidelines for the fast-evolving technology sector.