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Google has fired one of its top artificial intelligence researchers, Margaret Mitchell, deepening internal turmoil for the company after the departure of Timnit Gebru, another leading figure on Google’s AI ethics team .
Mitchell, who announced his dismissal on Twitter, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement to Reuters, Google said the layoff followed a weeks-long investigation that revealed it had moved electronic files out of the company. Google said Mitchell violated the company’s code of conduct and security policies.
Google’s ethics research unit in artificial intelligence has come under intense scrutiny since the December dismissal of Gebru, a prominent black Silicon Valley researcher. Gebru’s exit prompted thousands of Google employees to protest. Mitchell and Gebru co-led the Artificial Intelligence Ethics team for approximately two years.
Gebru and Mitchell, who is white, had called for more diversity among Google’s search staff and expressed concern that the company is starting to censor research critical of its products.
Gebru said Google fired her after questioning an order not to publish an article claiming that AI that mimics language could harm marginalized populations.
Google AI research director Zoubin Ghahramani and a company legal representative informed Mitchell’s team of his dismissal on Friday in a meeting called on short notice, a person told Reuters close to the file. The person said little explanation had been given for the dismissal. Alex Hanna, a Google employee, said on Twitter that the company was running a “smear campaign” against Mitchell and Gebru, with whom it worked closely.
Google did not immediately comment on these claims. His statement said of Mitchell: “We have confirmed that there have been multiple violations of our code of conduct, as well as our security policies, which included the exfiltration of sensitive confidential documents and private data of other employees. . “
Google has recruited top scientists with promises of research freedom, but the limits are being tested as researchers increasingly write about the negative effects of technology and offer unflattering insights into their employer’s products.
Reuters contributed to the reporting
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