Google Faces Employee Protests Over Defence Contracts Involving DeepMind
Earlier this year, Google faced protests from its own employees over its business ties with Israel. The company responded by tightening its employee code of conduct and even fired some workers. Now, according to a report from Time magazine, nearly 200 employees at Google DeepMind are voicing strong opposition to Google’s involvement in defense contracts, stirring up internal conflict once again.
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A letter dated May 16, 2024, reveals the concerns of these employees. They are particularly troubled by Google’s involvement in military projects that use AI. The letter states, "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."
DeepMind’s own principles are clear: the company should not work on AI projects that are likely to cause "overall harm," or contribute to building weapons or technology designed to cause injury.
Despite these principles, the last few years have seen the AI competition intensify, and DeepMind's independence has gradually weakened. The report suggests that efforts to keep DeepMind autonomous have been overshadowed by its 2023 merger with Google Brain, bringing it closer to Google's main operations.
DeepMind once had an ethics board to oversee its AI developments, but it proved ineffective and was eventually replaced by Google's broader AI Principles. These principles are intended to prevent AI from causing harm but still allow for the creation of potentially dangerous technologies if the benefits outweigh the risks. Additionally, they do not rule out selling Google’s AI to military clients—a key issue driving the current protests from DeepMind employees.
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