Google employees are reportedly carrying weapons over a management decision to return a promise not to use artificial intelligence technology to develop weapons or surveillance tools.
Search major decision Modify AI Ethics Guidelinesthe mark, released Tuesday, shows a significant deviation from the company's previous commitment to refrain from AI applications that could cause harm.
The updated guidelines no longer include advance commitments to avoid weapons, surveillance, or AI for “causing or likely to cause overall harm.”
Google has not explicitly permitted the removal of the ban on AI weapons in official communications.
This post is being asked for comment from Google.
Google employees expressed concern about the new policy through a post on Memegen, the company's internal message board.
One widely shared meme depicting Google CEO Sundar Pichai, looking for “how to become an arms contractor” on Google, is depicted on Google. According to Business Insider.
Another captioned the popular comedy sketch featuring an actor dressed to Nazi soldiers. Are we villains? ”
“Are we villains?” memes come from British comedy sketches. There, two Nazi officers realize that the uniforms surrounded by their skulls mean that they are villains.
It is used humorously to portray moments of ethical self-reflection.
The third meme featured Sheldon from “Big Bang Theory,” responding to reports that Google was increasing collaboration with defense agencies, yelling, “Ah, that's it.”
Although some employees have expressed concern, other employees within the company may support a more active role in defense technology, especially as AI becomes a key factor in global military and security strategies. I have sex.
In the wake of the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists, Google faces criticism over a $1.2 billion “Project Nimbus” contract with Israel, with employees and activists in the wake of cloud technology's military and surveillance operations against Palestinians He claimed that he could help.
The company fired more than 20 employees who broke into the executive office, which was live streamed online last year, and broke into the enforcement office.
The change in Google's stance is consistent with the broader industry trends of high-tech companies that are more closely involved with defense agencies.
Companies such as Microsoft and Amazon have secured favorable government contracts, including AI and military applications, and Google's revised policy will provide potential strategic restructurings to stay competitive in this area. It suggests.
Deepmind CEOs Demis Hassabis and James Manyika are Senior Vice Presidents of Technology and Society. I defended the update in my blog post.
They cited “an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape” as the driver behind the change. They highlighted the need for cooperation between governments and businesses to ensure that AI is aligned with democratic values.
“We believe that democracy should lead AI development led by core values such as freedom, equality and respect for human rights,” the executive wrote.
“And I believe that businesses, governments and organizations that share these values need to work together to create AI that protect people, promote global growth and support national security. Masu.”
The company's historic resistance to engaging in military AI projects was attributed to an employee-led protest in 2018. This successfully put pressure on Google in 2018, when it put pressure on Google for the Pentagon contract known as “Project Maven,” which aims to enhance AI-based drone monitoring capabilities.
At the time, Google established a set of AI principles that imposed clear restrictions on military applications.
Currently, the original blog post outlining these principles has been updated to link to revised guidelines, indicating a pivotal change in the company's policies.
With AI technology rapidly evolving and geopolitical competition growing, Google's new stance could be placed to pursue defense-related contracts previously left behind by its competitors.
However, internal backlash highlights the ethical dilemma that tech companies face when navigating the intersection of innovation, corporate responsibility and national security.
Shares in Google Parent Alphabet sweeped over $200 billion in market value after it announced an increase in AI spending despite slow earnings growth.
Alphabet's stock was ticked down approximately 0.5% as of 3pm on Thursday. The company's shares were trading at around $192 per share.
Investors are scrutinizing the rise in AI costs for tech companies, especially after Chinese startup DeepSeek reportedly trained a model under $6 million without Nvidia's top hardware.
