Google employees resign over military AI contracts
Staff members are leaving Google DeepMind over concerns about the company's work with the US and Israeli militaries.
KEY POINTS
- Several Google DeepMind staff have resigned or are leaving over military AI contracts
- Sofia Liguori, a London-based research engineer, resigned this week after three years
- She cited Google's increasing work with the US and Israeli militaries
- Google says it follows a consistent contract review process and has channels for employee concerns
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has made AI integration in the armed forces a priority
Google is facing a backlash from some staff members over its deployment of AI technology for military use. Several tech workers have resigned from Google DeepMind or are in the process of leaving because of the company's military contracts.
Sofia Liguori, a London-based research engineer, resigned from Google DeepMind this week after three years at the company. She said she decided to leave over Google's increasing work with the US and Israeli militaries.
“Realising my company is pushing more and more for AI systems in military operations makes me feel ashamed to work at Google.”
Liguori told the BBC she feels ashamed to work at Google because the company is pushing more and more for AI systems in military operations. She said she no longer believes the company is true to its stated ethical values.
Google's AI Principles say the technology should be implemented with human oversight and aligned with international law and human rights. Critics question whether AI is reliable enough for warfare without more testing, stronger guardrails and human oversight.
A Google spokesperson said the company works with public sector organisations worldwide and follows a consistent process for reviewing contracts. The spokesperson added that Google has dedicated channels for employees to raise concerns and strict policies to prevent retaliation.
Google is one of several tech companies that signed contracts with the US military earlier this year to deploy AI across classified military environments. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has made integrating AI into the armed forces a key priority.
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