Google Will Not Renew Controversial Contract with Pentagon

In response to a large protest from Google employees, the American company officially announced on Friday, June 1, that it will not renew its current contract with the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the application of artificial intelligence in drones. According to the New York Times, Google stated on Friday that it will not extend its contract with the Pentagon for work in the field of artificial intelligence. Thus, with the end of this contract, which expires next year, Google's collaboration with the Pentagon in this area will also come to an end. The New York Times reported this news citing 'a person familiar with the matter,' but did not name them. According to this source, Diane Greene, head of Google Cloud, announced this news during a weekly meeting of Google employees. Google's collaboration with the Department of Defense in the project known as 'Maven' had sparked anger among a large portion of the company's employees, and, according to the New York Times, the company's withdrawal from this project is an attempt to 'quell their rebellion.' In the Maven project, artificial intelligence is used to interpret video images captured by drones, and the entire project could be used to improve targeting in drone strikes. Part of the AI's work in so-called killer drones involves analyzing recorded images and identifying human targets in these images, which is done in a fraction of a second. The New York Times writes: 'The concern, especially among AI researchers at Google, was that this contract could be the first step towards using this technology in advanced weaponry.' This partnership in potential drone strikes in the battlefield angered Google employees, who wrote an open letter to Google executives last April, starting with: 'We believe that Google should not be in the business of war.' Thousands of signatories to this petition demanded 'a clear policy indicating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever engage in the production of weapon technology.' Reports indicate that Google's current contract, which ends next year, is part of an effort by James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, who had sought help from major companies like Google to assist the Pentagon in utilizing artificial intelligence. As the New York Times reports, the U.S. Department of Defense is seeking to make artificial intelligence the centerpiece of its defense and military strategy. Google's announcement to withdraw from this contract comes at a time when relationships between major technology companies and the Department of Defense are not unusual in the U.S., and Google's major competitors, Microsoft and Amazon, will undoubtedly seek to fill the gap. As research and experimentation in artificial intelligence expand and successes in this field increase, many, including prominent scientists and entrepreneurs, express concerns about humanity's increasing dependence on this technology. Among these AI critics, some believe that the growing reliance on artificial intelligence will lead to the extinction of the human race in the not-too-distant future.