Now the company is ready to develop technologies that can kill people.
Google has removed a clause from its AI principles that promised to avoid using the technology for potentially harmful purposes, including weapons.
The company previously had a section titled “AI applications we will not pursue,” which listed “technologies that cause or could cause general harm,” including weapons. However, Bloomberg reports that this text is no longer on the page.
In response to a request for comment, Google referred to a blog published on Tuesday, in which Google Senior Vice President James Manyika and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said, “We believe that democracies should lead the way in AI development, grounded in values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights.”
Google also commented on the changes to TechCrunch, referring to a new blog about “responsible AI.” It states: “We believe that companies, governments, and organizations that share these values should work together to create AI that protects people, advances global development, and supports national security.”
Margaret Mitchell, former co-chair of Google’s AI ethics team and now chief ethicist at startup Hugging Face, believes the change could impact the company’s work. “Removing this clause erases the work of many AI ethicists and activists. It could also mean that Google is now likely to develop technology that can kill people,” she said.
Tracy Pizzo Frey, former head of responsible AI at Google Cloud, said the AI principles helped her team analyze their work and improve the quality of their products. “Responsible AI creates trust, and without trust, you can’t succeed,” she said.
Google has been criticized in recent years for collaborating with the US and Israeli militaries to provide them with cloud computing power. While the company says its technology is not used to cause harm, the Pentagon’s top AI officer recently told TechCrunch that some companies’ models are already speeding up decision-making in the U.S. military’s “kill chain.”
Google’s shift in policy follows a broader trend among major tech companies. In January, Meta* rolled back some of its diversity initiatives, eliminating mandatory interviews for candidates from underrepresented groups. Around the same time, Amazon ended a number of its inclusion programs, calling them outdated.
Within Google, the debate over balancing ethics and competitive pressures has been ongoing. Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, the company has been under pressure to maintain its leadership in AI. In 2023, some employees expressed concerns that Google was compromising on ethics in the name of competition.
Google has removed a clause from its AI principles that promised to avoid using the technology for potentially harmful purposes, including weapons.
The company previously had a section titled “AI applications we will not pursue,” which listed “technologies that cause or could cause general harm,” including weapons. However, Bloomberg reports that this text is no longer on the page.
In response to a request for comment, Google referred to a blog published on Tuesday, in which Google Senior Vice President James Manyika and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said, “We believe that democracies should lead the way in AI development, grounded in values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights.”
Google also commented on the changes to TechCrunch, referring to a new blog about “responsible AI.” It states: “We believe that companies, governments, and organizations that share these values should work together to create AI that protects people, advances global development, and supports national security.”
Margaret Mitchell, former co-chair of Google’s AI ethics team and now chief ethicist at startup Hugging Face, believes the change could impact the company’s work. “Removing this clause erases the work of many AI ethicists and activists. It could also mean that Google is now likely to develop technology that can kill people,” she said.
Tracy Pizzo Frey, former head of responsible AI at Google Cloud, said the AI principles helped her team analyze their work and improve the quality of their products. “Responsible AI creates trust, and without trust, you can’t succeed,” she said.
Google has been criticized in recent years for collaborating with the US and Israeli militaries to provide them with cloud computing power. While the company says its technology is not used to cause harm, the Pentagon’s top AI officer recently told TechCrunch that some companies’ models are already speeding up decision-making in the U.S. military’s “kill chain.”
Google’s shift in policy follows a broader trend among major tech companies. In January, Meta* rolled back some of its diversity initiatives, eliminating mandatory interviews for candidates from underrepresented groups. Around the same time, Amazon ended a number of its inclusion programs, calling them outdated.
Within Google, the debate over balancing ethics and competitive pressures has been ongoing. Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, the company has been under pressure to maintain its leadership in AI. In 2023, some employees expressed concerns that Google was compromising on ethics in the name of competition.
