According to a report by Time, around 200 Google DeepMind workers signed a letter on May 16 calling on the company to drop contracts with military organizations, stating that it goes against the company’s own AI rules. The letter expresses concerns that the tech developed by DeepMind is allegedly being sold to military organizations via cloud contracts. The workers emphasize that this is not about specific geopolitical conflicts but rather about maintaining ethical and responsible AI practices. Google’s partnership with the Israeli government under Project Nimbus has faced scrutiny, leading employees to protest against their work being used for military purposes. The letter urges DeepMind to deny military users access to its AI technology and establish a governance body to prevent future military use. Despite receiving no meaningful response from Google leadership, the company maintains that its contracts comply with its AI principles and are not directed at sensitive military workloads. DeepMind was originally promised independence from Google to avoid military or surveillance purposes but recent developments suggest a shift in autonomy.
