Google DeepMind Worker Signs Letter To Cancel Contract With Military

Google DeepMind (photo: Google)

JAKARTA - Workers at Google DeepMind are reported to have signed a letter asking Google to cancel contracts with military organizations.

Based on a report from Time, the contract was designed on May 16 this year, and about 200 people have signed the document, which means five percent of DeepMind's total employees.

The report also states where Google's contracts with the United States military and the Israeli military allow access to services through the cloud, and reportedly this includes AI technology developed by DeepMind.

Any involvement with military manufacturing and weapons affects our position as leaders in an ethical and responsible AI, and goes against the AI mission and Principle statements we state, the letter reads.

The letter also said that signed employees were concerned by ensuring that Google's AI Principle was enforced.

They also added, We believe [DeepMind] leadership has the same concern as us.

A spokesperson also said that all DeepMind employees have been trying to develop AI technology in principle responsible for customers.

"We have made it very clear that Nimbus' contract is aimed at workloads running on our commercial cloud by the Israeli government ministry, which agreed to comply with Acceptable Terms of Service and Policy," he told TIME.

The letter also asks DeepMind leaders to refuse military user access to its AI technology and establish a new internal governance agency to prevent the technology from being used by the military in the future.

"This work is not aimed at a very sensitive, classified, or military workload relevant to weapons or intelligence services," he added.