Google prohibited development of artificial intelligence for weapon

2018

Google prohibited development of artificial intelligence for weapon

On June 7, 2018 Google published the set of rules of work on artificial intelligence. One of them consists in prohibition to development of such technologies for weapon.

According to the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, the company will not be engaged in creation of AI systems in the military and other purposes capable to do harm to society and to violate human rights and the international precepts of law.

Google will not develop artificial intelligence for use in arms

We want to clear up that though we do not develop artificial intelligence for use in arms, we continue our work with the governments and military in many other areas. Among them — cyber security, training, conscription, health care for veterans and also search and rescue transactions — Pichai said.

He noted that all developments should bring benefit to society and ensure safety of people, and the artificial intelligence should remain under human control.

In the new principles of a company performance it is said that researches in the field of artificial intelligence will be conducted by Google with all responsibility. Specialists of the company will not be engaged in creation of AI for "potentially dangerous" projects.

Google also urged employees and clients to develop artificial intelligence in which there would be no "an unfair impact on people", especially concerning race, a floor, sexual orientation and political or religious beliefs.

Promulgated rules of work on artificial intelligence were created by committee from nine employees of Google. The representative of the company in a conversation with Reuters called the document a template which any software developer can use. Though Microsoft and other large market participants issued the body of principles in the field of AI earlier, the community of developers of such technologies watched closely operation of Google because of the scandalous project with the Pentagon, notes news agency.^[1]

Termination of the transaction with the Pentagon

At the beginning of June, 2018 it became known of failure of Google to execute the order of the Pentagon for development of artificial intelligence technology. The company decided to stop cooperation with the American Ministry of Defence because of discontent of employees.

The current contract between Google and the Pentagon expires in March, 2019, and the company will not begin to prolong the agreement. The head cloud announced divisions of Google of Dian Green the decision of corporation.

Google refused to improve military UAVs of the USA

Google attached great value to this project and financial perspectives as its budget had to reach as a result $250 million,  Gizmodo writes.

As noted, the decision on termination of the transaction with the Defense Ministry is caused by sharp discontent of staff of Google who did not want to participate in the project on development of artificial intelligence which can be used in the military purposes. Thousands of workers signed the petition against this project assuming development of an AI-analysis system of the image for further correction of the purposes of blows of UAVs. Because of this conflict some staff of the company decided to leave.

They were afraid that it would be the first step to use of artificial intelligence for murder of people — BBC tells.

According to Gizmodo, heads of Google did not want to disclose information on how cooperation with the Pentagon proceeds, and were not going to mention artificial intelligence in PR campaign of the project. The corporation was afraid that the press will begin to distribute incorrect information, as if Google secretly creates weapon for the military purposes.^[2]

In work on the project Google faced a problem: the company needed to use the data collected by military unmanned aerial vehicles for development of model of machine learning. However the company had no permission of the government to storages of such data in a cloud. The Pentagon helped Google to undergo in March, 2018 the procedure of certification on compliance of cloud services to state standards.

Staff of Google leaves because of cooperation with the Pentagon

In May, 2018 it became known of leaving Google of employees because of discontent with cooperation of the company with the American Ministry of Defence in the development area of artificial intelligence for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The people working in Google claim that in the military operations people, but not algorithms as the error of the computer can become deadly should be engaged in the analysis of images. The company parries the fact that the corresponding software which is used in the project of the Pentagon is open, i.e. military can use it and without participation of Google. 

Workers run from Google in protest at cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of the USA

According to Gizmodo with reference to the sources in Google, about 10 workers from different divisions of the company submitted resignation letters. Their solution is caused by the ethical reasons — personnel against use of AI in pilotless war and is afraid that the contract with the Pentagon will undermine confidence of users to Google.

A number of employees of Google told the edition that they were also disturbed by the management which became less transparent at adoption of controversial solutions in business less to listen to objections of employees.

I tried to remind myself that solutions of Google are not my solutions. I do not bear the personal liability for everything that they do. But I feel responsibility when I see something that I should develop — one of the left employees of Google told.

At some point I understood that I cannot sincerely recommend to someone to work in Google, knowing what is known by me. I understood that if I cannot recommend to people to join the company, then why I still here? — other employee of the company who also left asked a question.

The edition calls the first this mass departure of employees of Google when at own will the solution of company management is the reason of dismissals. Representatives of Google refrained from comments.^[3]

Protest of staff of Google

At the beginning of April, 2018 the staff of Google expressed a protest against accomplishment of the order of the Pentagon by the company on development of artificial intelligence technology (AI) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The collective letter signed with personnel of Google in protest at participation of the company in the project of the American U.S. Department of Defense was at the disposal of the The New York Times newspaper (NYT). The message to the management was signed by more than 3100 employees of Google among whom — lead engineers.

Staff of Google protests against the AI project with the Pentagon

We consider that Google it is not necessary to be engaged in military business. Therefore we ask to cancel Project Maven and also to prepare, publish and provide accomplishment of clear and exact policy according to which, Google and its contractors will never create fighting technologies, said in the petition.

The edition notes that perturbation of staff of Google reflects the culturological conflict between the companies  and the federal U.S. Government concerning expediency of use of AI in the military purposes. It is about the software with AI algorithms which will increase the guidance accuracy of drones of fighting appointment.

Google is included into Alphabet holding in which by the beginning of April, 2018 about 70 thousand work human. Concerning a protest of employees in Google made the following statement:

We know that there are many open questions connected with use of new technologies therefore this talk with employees and external experts is extremely important and useful.

Google also notes that the technology created for the Pentagon has the "nonaggressive" nature and will not lead to development of any autonomous fighting systems. The company works under the motto "Be Not Angry" long ago, and participation in the defense contract created something like internal split in Google, NYT notes.^[4]

Start of Project

In March, 2018 it became known that the American Ministry of Defence involved Google in software development with artificial intelligence for data analysis from unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to Bloomberg with reference to the representative of Google, the company provided API library  of machine learning for the project with the Pentagon  open source of TensorFlow to provide automatic detection of objects on the basis of not classified data.

The Pentagon employed Google for development of the AI program for data analysis from UAVs

The technology marks images for viewing by the person and is intended only for the defensive purposes. Use of machine learning in the military purposes causes logical concerns. We actively discuss this important subject both in the company, and with others as we continue to develop strategy and security measures around development and use of our machine learning technologies — noted in Google.

According to the Gizmodo edition, the pilot project of Google and Ministry of Defence of the USA is called Maven. Its tasks include  recognition of 38 categories of the objects photographed by military drones. Development should including monitor movement of people when they come or leave different premises.

Gizmodo writes that the reason of the appeal of the American Defense Ministry to the technology companies was the fact that the Pentagon does not cope with data array, arriving from drones — in the Pentagon physically do not manage to watch material. The Ministry of Defence of the Ministry of Defence spent considerable resources for advanced technologies for collection of information, but lagged behind in creation of tools for its analysis.

Bloomberg notes that Google changed the principles as before strongly limited work with military. Some staff of Google was perturbed with providing the company by the military of resources for creation of technology of observation in transactions with participation of drones, Gizmodo adds.^[5]

Notes