Over 100 Google DeepMind employees have written an open letter calling for Google to stop working on these contracts.

Over 100 Google DeepMind employees have written an open letter calling for Google to stop working on these contracts.
Nearly 200 employees of Google's AI division, DeepMind, have signed an open letter calling on the company to end its contracts with military organizations, Time magazine reports. The letter, dated May 16, 2024, expressed concerns that DeepMind's AI technology is being used for warfare purposes, potentially violating Google's own AI principles.
The letter specifically mentions Google's defense contract with the Israeli military (known as Project Nimbus) and reports that AI is being used for mass surveillance and targeting in Gaza. The signatories are not focused on any particular conflict, but emphasize that their concern is maintaining ethical AI practices.
“Any involvement in the military or weapons manufacturing would impact our position as a leader in ethical and responsible AI and is contrary to our mission statement and stated AI principles,” the letter said, according to Time.
When Google acquired DeepMind in 2014, it promised not to use the lab's technology for military or surveillance purposes. DeepMind's AI principles prohibit the development of applications that cause “systemic harm” or help develop weapons or technologies intended to inflict injury. But as DeepMind has become more tightly integrated with Google's core business, that separation has become less clear.
The letter calls on DeepMind's management to investigate allegations of military use of Google Cloud services, end military access to DeepMind's technology, and establish a new governing body to prevent future military use.
As of August 2024, Google has not substantially addressed employee concerns, according to Time magazine. “We're not getting any meaningful answers from management,” one employee told the magazine, adding that they're “growing increasingly frustrated.”
A Google spokesman defended the company's practices, saying, “When developing and offering AI technologies to our customers, we follow our AI Principles, which outline our commitment to developing technology responsibly.”
The internal protest follows an earlier protest against Project Nimbus that led Google to fire dozens of employees earlier this year.

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