Google DeepMind Employees Demand End to Military Contracts in Open Letter

Over 100 Google DeepMind employees write open letter, want Google to stop working on these contracts - Times of India

Over 100 Google DeepMind employees write open letter, want Google to stop working on these contracts About 200 employees at Google DeepMind, the company's AI division's, have signed an open letter urging the company to end its contracts with military organisations, Time Magazine reports. The letter, dated May 16, 2024, expresses concerns that DeepMind's AI technology is being used for warfare purposes, potentially violating Google's own AI principles. The letter specifically references Google's defence contract with the Israeli military, known as Project Nimbus, as well as reports of AI being used for mass surveillance and target selection in Gaza. While not focusing on any particular conflict, the signatories emphasise that their concerns are about upholding ethical AI practices. "Any involvement with military and weapon manufacturing impacts our position as leaders in ethical and responsible AI, and goes against our mission statement and stated AI Principles," the letter states, according to Time. When Google acquired DeepMind in 2014, it promised that the lab's technology would never be used for military or surveillance purposes. DeepMind's AI principles prohibit working on applications that cause "overall harm" or aid in building weapons or technology intended to cause injury. However, as DeepMind has been integrated more closely with Google's core operations, this separation has become less distinct. The letter calls on DeepMind's leadership to investigate claims of military use of Google Cloud services, terminate military access to DeepMind technology, and establish a new governance body to prevent future military applications. As of August 2024, Google has not substantially responded to the employees' concerns, Time reports. "We have received no meaningful response from leadership," one employee told the magazine, "and we are growing increasingly frustrated." A Google spokesperson defended the company's practices, stating, "When developing AI technologies and making them available to customers, we comply with our AI Principles, which outline our commitment to developing technology responsibly." This internal dissent follows a previous protests against Project Nimbus, which resulted in Google firing dozens of employees earlier this year. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

DeepMind's internal revolt: Employees demand Google cut ties with Israeli and other military contracts

Around 200 employees at Google DeepMind, Google's AI research division, have raised alarms about the company's military contracts. According to Time, they have asked Google to stop working with military organizations, believing that this use of their technology goes against Google's ethical rules for AI. A quick reminder: When Google acquired DeepMind in 2014, the lab was promised its AI technology would not be used for military or surveillance purposes. DeepMind operated somewhat independently for years. However, as AI competition grew, DeepMind became more integrated with Google. In 2023, it merged with Google Brain, bringing it closer to Google's main operations. The issue centers around Google's cloud services, including AI developed by DeepMind, which have been sold to governments and militaries. The most controversial contract is Project Nimbus, a deal with the Israeli government. This contract has been criticized because it supports the Israeli military, which is involved in operations in Gaza. DeepMind employees are worried that working with military organizations goes against Google's AI Principles. These principles aim to ensure AI is used ethically and responsibly. They state that AI should not cause harm or be used for weapons or surveillance that violates human rights. On May 16, 2024, the employees sent a letter voicing their concerns. The letter says that while it does not target specific conflicts or governments, it is worried about the use of AI in military settings. It argues that such involvement harms DeepMind's commitment to ethical AI. The letter requests three main actions: Google responded by saying it follows its AI Principles and that Project Nimbus involves providing cloud services to Israeli government ministries, not directly to the military. Google claims these services are not meant for sensitive military or classified uses. However, the letter's signatories argue that Google's response is unclear and does not address their concerns about supporting surveillance and violence through its technology. Employees are frustrated with Google's lack of action on their letter and feel that leadership has not effectively addressed their concerns. At a June town hall meeting, DeepMind's Chief Operating Officer, Lila Ibrahim, assured employees that DeepMind would not develop AI for weapons or mass surveillance. She emphasized Google's commitment to responsible AI, which she said was the reason she joined and stayed with the company. This situation at Google DeepMind reflects a larger debate in the tech industry about using advanced technologies in military applications. As AI technology continues to advance, companies like Google face the challenge of balancing business interests with ethical responsibilities. The outcome of this dispute could set important guidelines for how AI is developed and used in the future.

Google DeepMind workers protest over US military and defense contracts

Nearly 200 workers at Google DeepMind, the company's AI research division, have signed a letter urging the company to terminate its contracts with military organizations. The May 16 letter, revealed by TIME, highlights growing concern within the organization about the ethical implications of its AI technology being used for digital warfare. The signatories represent around 5% of DeepMind's workforce, calling out the company's contracts to supply AI and cloud computing services to various governments, including the Israeli military under Project Nimbus. The workers argue such involvement violates Google's own AI Principles, which state the company will not pursue AI applications that cause "overall harm" or contribute to weaponry and surveillance. Although the letter refrains from mentioning any specific geopolitical conflict, it links to reports alleging that Israeli military operations are using AI for surveillance and targeting. Although DeepMind has historically maintained a policy against using its technology for military purposes, the business has become increasingly close to Google's broader operations since its acquisition in 2014, leading to closer ties to military contracts. Despite the letter's demands, including a review of DeepMind's technology being used by military clients and the establishment of a new governance body, Google has not taken any decisive action. TechRadar Pro has asked the company to comment on the internal letter from staff, but we did not receive an immediate response. One of the letter's signatories expressed their dissatisfaction with Google's response to the complaint to TIME, stating that the company's statement on Project Nimbus "is so specifically unspecific that we are all none the wiser on what it actually means."

DeepMind workers urge Google to drop military contracts

Google DeepMind workers have signed a letter calling on the company to drop contracts with military organizations, according to a report by Time. The document was drafted on May 16 of this year. Around 200 people signed the document, which amounts to five percent of the total headcount of DeepMind. For the uninitiated, DeepMind is one of Google's AI divisions and the letter states that adopting military contracts runs afoul of the company's own AI rules. The letter was sent out as internal concerns began circulating within the AI lab that the tech was allegedly being sold to military organizations via cloud contracts. According to Time, Google's contracts with the United States military and the Israeli military allow access to services via the cloud, and this reportedly includes AI technology developed by DeepMind. The letter doesn't linger on any specific military organization, with workers emphasizing that it's "not about the geopolitics of any particular conflict." Reporting since 2021 has slowly revealed the scope of tech supplied by Google (and Amazon) to the Israeli government via a partnership known as Project Nimbus. This is far from the first instance of Google employees openly protesting their work being used to support politically fraught military aims -- the company fired dozens of staffers who spoke out against Project Nimbus earlier this year. "Any involvement with military and weapon manufacturing impacts our position as leaders in ethical and responsible AI, and goes against our mission statement and stated AI principles," the DeepMind letter says. It's worth noting that Google's slogan used to be "don't be evil." The letter goes on to ask DeepMind's leaders to deny military users access to its AI technology and to set up a new in-house governance body to prevent the tech from being used by future militaries. According to four unnamed employees, Google has yet to offer a tangible response to the letter. "We have received no meaningful response from leadership," one said, "and we are growing increasingly frustrated." Google did respond to Time's reporting, saying that it complies with its AI principles. The company says that the contract with the Israeli government "is not directed at highly sensitive, classified or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services." However, its partnership with the Israeli government has fallen under plenty of scrutiny in recent months. Google purchased DeepMind back in 2014, but under the promise that its AI technology would never be used for military or surveillance purposes. For many years, DeepMind was allowed to operate with a good amount of independence from its parent company, but the burgeoning AI race looks to have changed that. The lab's leaders spent years seeking greater autonomy from Google, but were rebuffed in 2021.

Google DeepMind staff call for end to military contracts

In May 2024, around 200 employees at Google DeepMind (representing roughly 5 percent of the division) signed a letter urging the company to end its contracts with military organizations, expressing concerns that its AI technology was being used for warfare, Time magazine reported. The letter states that employee concerns aren't "about the geopolitics of any particular conflict," but it does link out to Time's reporting on Google's defense contract with the Israeli military, known as Project Nimbus. The letter also points to reports that the Israeli military uses AI for mass surveillance and to select targets in its bombing campaign in Gaza, with Israeli weapons firms mandated by the government to purchase cloud services from Google and Amazon.

DeepMind workers sign letter in protest of Google's defense contracts | TechCrunch

At least 200 workers at DeepMind, Google's AI R&D division, are displeased with Google's reported defense contracts -- and according to Time, they circulated a letter internally back in May to say as much. The letter, dated May 16, says the undersigned are concerned by "Google's contracts with military organizations," citing articles about the tech giant's contracts to supply AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military. "Any involvement with military and weapon manufacturing impacts our position as leaders in ethical and responsible AI, and goes against our mission statement and stated AI Principles," the letter adds. While a relatively small portion of the org's overall staff, the memo hints at a culture clash between Google and DeepMind, which Google acquired in 2014 and whose tech -- Google pledged in 2018 -- would never be used for military or surveillance purposes.