Google's internal fight over Timnit Gebru case escalates as researchers demand the removal of senior executive

Members of Google's Ethical AI team want vice president to be removed from the reporting structure

A group of researchers from Google's Ethical AI team have written a letter to the company's senior officials, demanding the company to commit to new policies and bring greater academic freedom for workers.

The six-page letter, titled "The Future of Ethical AI at Google Research," was addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, AI chief Jeff Dean and engineering vice president Megan Kacholia.

It comes more than a week after about 2,600 Google employees signed an open letter in support of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru, who said that she was terminated by Google for sending an internal email that accused the firm of "silencing marginalised voices".

Dr Gebru, the co-founder of the Black in AI group, had been working on a paper that scrutinised bias in artificial intelligence. According to media reports, Gebru's paper also mentioned Google's own technology, which the company is using in its search business.

In October, Gebru submitted the paper for internal review at Google, but was surprised to see that it was rejected by the company the next day. Gebru was later informed that she had been dismissed.

The new letter from the members of Google's Ethical AI team demands removal of Megan Kacholia from the reporting structure of Ethics team.

According to the team, Kacholia notified Gebru of her termination without informing Gebru's direct manager about the decision.

"We have lost trust in her as a leader," the letter reads, according to Bloomberg.

"Google's short-sighted decision to fire and retaliate against a core member of the Ethical AI team makes it clear that we need swift and structural changes if this work is to continue, and if the legitimacy of the field as a whole is to persevere."

The letter demands transparency in reviews of staff papers, and that Google launch an investigation into how it handles employee complaints about working conditions.

It also urges the company to offer Gebru a chance to re-join Google "at a higher level" than the one she had before.

The demands from Google employees came the same day that Texas and nine other US states filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the firm of violating antitrust law and abusing its market powers to run its online advertising business.

The lawsuit, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, alleged that Google made an "unlawful agreement" with Facebook, giving the social networking giant special privileges in exchange for promising not to back a competing ad system.

The civil suit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas. The states that joined Texas in filing the lawsuit are Arkansas, Kentucky, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah.

In September, the heads of Google and other tech giants were questioned about alleged anti-competitive practices by US lawmakers.