Google removes pledge to not use AI for weapons from website

In Brief

Google removed a pledge to not build AI for weapons or surveillance from its website this week. The change was first spotted by Bloomberg. The company appears to have updated its public AI principles page, erasing a section titled “applications we will not pursue,” which was still included as recently as last week.

Asked for comment, the company pointed TechCrunch to a new blog post on “responsible AI.” It notes, in part, “we believe that companies, governments, and organizations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.”

Google’s newly updated AI principles note the company will work to “mitigate unintended or harmful outcomes and avoid unfair bias,” as well as align the company with “widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.”

In recent years, Google’s contracts to provide the U.S. and Israeli militaries with cloud services have sparked internal protests from employees. The company has maintained that its AI is not used to harm humans; however, the Pentagon’s AI chief recently told TechCrunch that some company’s AI models are speeding up the U.S. military’s kill chain.

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