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Google announced today the dissolution of a short external advisory board, designed to control its use of artificial intelligence, following a week of controversy over the choice of members of society. The decision, reported for the first time today by Vox, is largely due to the outcry over the inclusion of Heritage Foundation President Kay Coles James, a well-known conservative figure who has openly embraced anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and, through the Heritage Foundation, it's fighting to extend the rights of transgender people and fight climate change.
The advisory committee, called the External Advisory Council on Advanced Technologies (ATEAC), included a number of prominent academics in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and philosophy to psychology and robotics. But it also included those with political background, such as James and members of the former US presidential administrations.
The goal was apparently to inform Google's work on artificial intelligence and ensure that it adheres to its principles, stated by CEO Sundar Pichai last year after revelations, as part of a project on the Pentagon drones that used his research in machine learning. Since then, Google has announced that it would stop working on the project and was committed to never developing AI weapons nor to any project or application of AI violating "standards internationally. recognized "or" widely accepted principles of international law and human rights ".
"It has become clear that in the current environment, ATEAC can not function as we wish," said a spokesman for Google. The edge. "So we end the board and go back to the drawing board. We will continue to be responsible for our work on the important issues raised by artificial intelligence and will find different ways to obtain outside views on these topics. "
The composition of the board of directors was strongly reacted on the day of the announcement and this reaction intensified inside and outside the company in the following days. Google gave no idea of how he chose his members. But the decision may have been influenced by the desire to appease Republican lawmakers and to gain public favor in regulating AI research and its application to products. and real-world services.
The pressure on Google, which had not yet responded to the initial reaction, increased last weekend when professor Alessandro Acquisti of Carnegie Mellon retired Saturday, write on Twitter"Although I am dedicated to research dealing with fundamental ethical issues of equity, rights and inclusion in Amnesty International, I do not think this is the right forum for me to participate in this important work." Earlier this week, thousands of Googlers signed a petition demanding the removal of James from the board.
The dissolution of the board of directors is another victory for Google employees. In recent years, since the dismissal of James Damore, members of the research giant have made successful efforts within the company to impose changes on the treatment of employees, abusive and abusive policies and practices such as Forced arbitration and contract work. participation in government programs related to defense. The release of Google last year, which had seen more than 20,000 employees protesting the way the company was protecting male employees who sexually harass their colleagues, led to a surge in employee activism. Today, Google executives tend to face substantial collective action around any hot topic in which the company finds itself entangled.
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