Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has decided to lift its ban on using artificial intelligence in weapons systems and surveillance. They argue that it’s essential to support national security, especially for democracies.
Back in June 2018, CEO Sundar Pichai detailed how Google would avoid AI applications that could cause harm, pledging not to develop AI for weapons or technologies that intentionally hurt people. He also made it clear that Google would steer clear of technologies that violate accepted norms of surveillance. By 2015, Google’s motto transformed from “Don’t be Evil” to “Do the Right Thing.”
In a recent blog post co-authored by Demis Hassabis from Google DeepMind and James Manyika, Google defended this policy shift, citing a global race for AI leadership and the importance of democratic values like freedom and equality. They emphasized that collaboration among companies and governments sharing these principles is crucial for creating AI that benefits security and promotes growth.
Google now focuses its AI principles on three areas: “bold innovation” to tackle major challenges; “responsible development” throughout the AI lifecycle; and “collaborative progress” to help others use AI positively.
Critics have raised serious concerns about this change. Elke Schwarz, a political theory professor, noted the growing trend of tech companies moving towards military AI. With Google already supplying cloud services to the U.S. military, she fears the increasing acceptance of turning tech into a war economy. The implications of AI in military use raise questions about dehumanization, discrimination, and the challenges of maintaining meaningful human control over autonomous weapons.
This shift isn’t unique to Google. Throughout 2024, other AI companies like OpenAI and Meta have also adjusted their policies to allow their systems to be used by U.S. defense agencies, though they still claim not to let their AI harm humans.
The backlash to Google’s decision has been loud. Human rights organizations are particularly alarmed, with Amnesty International condemning the move as “shameful” and a serious threat to privacy and human rights. They argue that AI technologies could lead to large-scale surveillance and lethal decision-making, pushing for a return to Google’s earlier stance against developing such technologies for military use.
Human Rights Watch highlighted the risks of letting companies self-regulate, cautioning that abandoning previous commitments like Google’s raises serious concerns about accountability in life-or-death situations. There’s a strong call for binding regulations to ensure that human rights are respected in the development and deployment of AI technology.
A global consensus exists among many countries for regulating AI-powered weapons, but a few powerful nations, notably the U.S., the U.K., and Israel, are resisting. This ongoing debate reflects the need for a re-evaluation of international cooperation in light of modern challenges, including the advancements in military technologies.