Google removes pledge against AI use in weapons and surveillance

Google drops pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance

Google updates its AI ethics policy, dropping commitments to avoid AI weaponization and surveillance, signaling a shift in its approach to AI development.

Google’s updated public policy on AI ethics is dropping a pledge not to use the technology for weaponization and surveillance. In a previous version of its own principles, the company included apps it would not use. One such category was weapons or other technology designed to harm people. Another was technology used for surveillance outside international norms, reported by CNN.

That promise has disappeared from the updated principles page. Since OpenAI launched its ChatGPT chatbot in 2022, the race for AI has been accelerating at a dizzying pace. While the use of AI is booming, laws and regulations around AI transparency and ethics have yet to catch up.

Google DeepMind

Now, Google appears to have loosened its arbitrary restrictions. In a blog post on Tuesday, James Manica, senior vice president of research, labs, technology and society, and Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, said that AI frameworks published by democracies have deepened Google’s understanding of the potential and risks of AI.

There is a global competition for leadership in AI in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. Google said democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values such as freedom, equality and respect for human rights. Google believes that companies, governments and organizations that share these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth and supports national security.

Google and the AI Principles

Google first published its AI Principles in 2018, years before the technology became nearly ubiquitous. Google’s update is a dramatic shift in values from the original published principles. In 2018, Google rejected a $10 billion bid for a Pentagon cloud computing contract, saying it couldn’t be sure it would meet its AI principles at the time. More than 4,000 employees signed a petition that year demanding a clear policy that neither Google nor its contractors would ever build military technology, and about a dozen employees quit in protest.