Amid opposition from employees, Google has signed a deal with the Pentagon which will allow the US government to use the company’s AI for “any lawful” purpose.
Reported by The Information, Google’s deal with the US Department of Defense will allow Pentagon workers to use Gemini AI models for classified work, so long as those are considered “lawful.”
The report explains:
The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google’s AI for “any lawful government purpose,” according to the person—echoing language that has been controversial in other AI company discussions with the Pentagon.
Google had already struck a deal to allow Gemini to be used on unclassified government data, but the move to classified data is controversial. As The Information notes, “more than 600” Google employees signed a letter urging CEO Sundar Pichai to reject the agreement, “arguing that refusing classified work is the only way to ensure Google’s AI isn’t misused.” The expansion to classified data is part of an amendment to the existing deal.
In a statement, Google says:
We are proud to be part of a broad consortium of leading AI labs and technology and cloud companies providing AI services and infrastructure in support of national security. We remain committed to the private and public sector consensus that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight.
Notably, the agreement requires that Google will “assist in adjusting its AI safety settings and filters at the government’s request.”
While Google has some guidelines around how its AI should not be used, as mentioned in the company’s statement, the report brings out that Google does not have “any right to control or veto lawful government operational decision-making.”
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