Google disconnects from the ethics council of IA

FILE PHOTO: Workers set up Google's stand for Alphabet Inc. at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, which will host the upcoming China International Trade Show (CIIE) in Shanghai, China on October 28, 2018. China Daily via REUTERS

April 5, 2019

(Reuters) – Google, of Alphabet Inc., announced Thursday the dissolution of a council that it had formed a week earlier to address ethical issues surrounding artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies .

The council had been the subject of controversy over two of its members, according to the online information portal Vox, which announced the dissolution of the council.

The council, launched on March 26, was intended to provide recommendations to Google, as well as other companies and researchers working in areas such as facial recognition software, a form of automation that has raised concerns about racial prejudices and other limitations.

The eight-member External Technology Advisory Council (ATEAC) included technology experts and digital ethicists.

"It has become clear that in the current environment, ATEAC can not function as we wish. So we end the board and go back to the drawing board, "said a representative of Google in a statement sent by email.

According to the Vox report, Google employees have signed a petition calling for the removal of one of the members for commenting on transsexuals, and added that the inclusion of a drone company leader had sparked a debate over the issue. use of Google's artificial intelligence for military applications.

(Report by Manas Mishra and Akshay Balan in Bengaluru, edited by Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney)