Over 600 Google employees have signed a letter addressed to CEO Sundar Pichai, urging the company to refuse the Pentagon's request to use Google's AI models for classified military purposes. The employee letter follows a report that Google is in talks with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide AI services for classified projects, according to The Washington Post.
The letter, organized by staff concerned about the ethical implications of military AI, calls on Google to uphold its earlier commitment not to develop AI for weapons or surveillance systems. Employees argue that classified military use contradicts Google's AI Principles, which were established after Project Maven in 2018.
This is not the first time Google employees have pushed back on military AI contracts. In 2018, thousands protested the company's involvement in Project Maven, a Pentagon program using AI to analyze drone footage. Google eventually declined to renew that contract.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the letter's specific demands but reiterated that the company follows its AI Principles and is transparent about its engagements.