Google removes bar on AI being used in weapons and surveillance

Because “democracies should lead in AI development”

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Google has changed its stance on AI use surveillance and weapons systems

Complex geopolitical landscape among the reasons provided for removing ethical guidelines

Google has removed the barriers it put in place in 2018 to its AI being used in weapons and surveillance systems.

In a blog post yesterday, entitled “Responsible AI: Our 2024 report and ongoing work” James Manyika, and DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, set out the new company stance, explaining that there’s “a global competition taking place for AI leadership within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.”

“We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights,” the pair continue. “And 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.”

Last year, China refused to sign an agreement agreeing to maintain human control over nuclear weapons.

In 2018, Google CEO Sundar Pichai set out the ethical parameters around the use of its AI. Pichai wrote at the time:

"We recognise that such powerful technology raises equally powerful questions about its use," Mr Pichai wrote. "As a leader in AI, we feel a special responsibility to get this right."

As recently as last week, Google maintained the stance that its AI wouldn’t be used for weapons, surveillance, and other technologies that “cause or are likely to cause overall harm”.

The softening of ethics at Google is the latest in a series of about turns by Big Tech, or perhaps Big AI. In December OpenAI dropped the policy that barred its technology from military use and announced a partnership with tech company Anduril to develop anti-drone technology.

Anthropic, Palantir and AWS teamed up late last year to provide US intelligence and defence agencies with access to Claude models and Meta has made Llama available for defence partners.

Interestingly, Palantir, Anduril, OpenAI, Saronic, and Scale AI are reportedly in talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to form a consortium to bid on prime Pentagon contracts to provide “a new generation of defence contractors.”