A DeepMind researcher resigned over its AI military deal: 'I couldn't stay at Google in good conscience'
A Google DeepMind researcher said he resigned over the company's work with the Pentagon."When Google signed the deal, my conscience simply said 'nope,'" he told Business Insider.Google's agreement with the Pentagon for classified work has caused some backlash among staff.A Google DeepMind researcher has resigned over the company's work with the Defense Department, adding to the internal backlash over the tech giant's military partnership.Alex Turner, a research scientist who worked for more than two years on AI safety at Google DeepMind, stepped down from his position in June, he told Business Insider. Turner said he made the decision after Google signed an agreement to let the Pentagon use its AI for classified operations.The Pentagon confirmed in early May that it had signed the deal with Google and a group of other companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, for "lawful operational use.""When Google signed the deal, my conscience simply said 'nope,'" he told Business Insider.In May, after the Pentagon announced its agreement with Google and other labs, a Google spokesperson said: "We remain committed to the private and public sector consensus that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight."Google's Pentagon agreement has caused some backlash among its workforce.
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A Google DeepMind researcher said he resigned over the company's work with the Pentagon."When Google signed the deal, my conscience simply said 'nope,'" he told Business Insider.Google's agreement with the Pentagon for classified work has caused some backlash among staff.A Google DeepMind researcher has resigned over the company's work with the Defense Department, adding to the internal backlash over the tech giant's military partnership.Alex Turner, a research scientist who worked for more than two years on AI safety at Google DeepMind, stepped down from his position in June, he told Business Insider. Turner said he made the decision after Google signed an agreement to let the Pentagon use its AI for classified operations.The Pentagon confirmed in early May that it had signed the deal with Google and a group of other companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, for "lawful operational use.""When Google signed the deal, my conscience simply said 'nope,'" he told Business Insider.In May, after the Pentagon announced its agreement with Google and other labs, a Google spokesperson said: "We remain committed to the private and public sector consensus that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight."Google's Pentagon agreement has caused some backlash among its workforce. In April, around 600 of Google's nearly 195,000 employees signed a petition asking the company not to enter into any deal involving classified work. A classified agreement limits how much oversight Google has over how its AI is used.
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- What's the story?
- A Google DeepMind researcher said he resigned over the company's work with the Pentagon."When Google signed the deal, my conscience simply said 'nope,'" he told Business Insider.Google's agreement with the Pentagon for classified work has caused some backlash among staff.A Google DeepMind researcher has resigned over the company's work with the Defense Department, adding to the internal backlash over the tech giant's military partnership.Alex Turner, a research scientist who worked for more than two years on AI safety at Google DeepMind, stepped down from his position in June, he told Business Insider. Turner said he made the decision after Google signed an agreement to let the Pentagon use its AI for classified operations.The Pentagon confirmed in early May that it had signed the deal with Google and a group of other companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, for "lawful operational use.""When Google signed the deal, my conscience simply said 'nope,'" he told Business Insider.In May, after the Pentagon announced its agreement with Google and other labs, a Google spokesperson said: "We remain committed to the private and public sector consensus that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight."Google's Pentagon agreement has caused some backlash among its workforce.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 5m ago.
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A DeepMind researcher resigned over its AI military deal: 'I couldn't stay at Google in good conscience'
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