More than 600 Google employees, with a significant number from the elite DeepMind AI division, have signed a letter addressed to CEO Sundar Pichai. The letter demands that the company refuse any contracts with the Department of Defense that involve using Google's artificial intelligence for classified work.
The employees argue that the classified nature of such projects would make it impossible for Google to have oversight on how its technology is being implemented. The letter states, “We want to see AI benefit humanity; not to see it being used in inhumane or extremely harmful ways.” This includes potential applications like lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.