Big Tech companies are not just creators of your smartphone or the platform you're using. They are also one of the biggest military contractors, providing the US Army, weapon manufacturers, and foreign governments with high-end tech for various purposes, including surveillance. This shady but profitable collaboration has caused many controversies for tech companies in the past. In one of the recent cases, Google DeepMind staff sent a letter to the company asking for military contracts to be ended.
The letter, as seen by Time magazine, was sent to Google leadership earlier this year and highlighted the staff's concerns about selling AI technology to customers engaged in building warfare, which apparently violates Google's own AI guidelines. Google DeepMind is the heart of Google AI development.
While the letter is signed by only 5 percent of DeepMind's overall staff, it demonstrates a growing concern within Google about engagement in military contracts.
The signatories of the letter express their ethical dilemma, stating:
"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 signatories also claim, "This letter is not about the geopolitics of any particular conflict." However, a part of the letter alludes to the potential misuse of AI technology in military applications, such as the Israeli army using AI for mass surveillance and target detection for bombing Gaza. These technologies might have been developed by Israeli weapons firms, which are mandated to use Google and Amazon cloud services.
Another report by Time magazine reveals Google's contract with Israel, under Project Nimbus, to provide its army with cloud computing and AI services. Google DeepMind already pledged not to work on military projects. Additionally, Google's AI principles state that the firm will not pursue "technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall harm."
DeepMind staff are now demanding the leadership to investigate whether any weapons manufacturer is using Google Cloud services. They also require the company to cut access to DeepMind technology for military users.
The letter was sent to Google leadership in mid-May, but the signatories say they've yet "received no meaningful response from leadership."
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