A New Google Military Contract Could Raise AI Ethical Concerns (Again)
Google is reportedly drafting a proposal for a defense contract that aims to employ artificial intelligence and cloud for military applications.
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Google is reportedly pursuing a Pentagon contract that plans to use Artificial Intelligence and cloud technology to gain an edge in the battlefield, but the move is almost certainly going to stir a furor among employees and the public. Tech giants are no stranger to government and military contracts. The defense and federal law enforcement agencies have worked with the likes of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and IBM for years. However, Google’s case is slightly different, and there’s a lot of ugly history behind it, especially in the past three years.
Following vocal protest from employees, the company announced in 2018 that it will not renew its artificial intelligence contract with the U.S. Department of Defense over Project Maven, formally known as the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (AWCFT). The latter employs AI and machine learning to apply computer vision models for tagging objects identified in images or videos recorded by surveillance aircraft or satellites. Back then, employees protested against the weaponization of artificial intelligence and forced Google to draft a set of AI ethics and principles around its application. Interestingly, computer vision is the same tech that Wendy’s wants to use after signing a deal with Google for something as simple as flipping burgers.
Now, The New York Times reports that Google is planning to bid for a defense contract that aims to employ artificial intelligence and cloud computing for military applications. The project is reportedly a successor to the $10 billion JEDI contract that was initially awarded to Microsoft but was eventually canceled after a lengthy court battle following a lawsuit filed by Amazon. Now known as the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability, the defense project covers half of the original JEDI contract’s duration and it will be awarded to more than one party. In addition to Google, Microsoft and Amazon are also chasing the contract. Microsoft already has a $480 million military contract under its belt that involves using the Hololens Mixed Reality smartglasses to assist soldiers.
Google Is Again Stirring An Ethics Storm
At this point, it is unclear whether the terms of the contract would require Google to violate its long list of ethical artificial intelligence principles, which clearly mention that the company will not design or deploy AI products for making weapons or technologies whose main goal is to harm people. The Department of Defense, however, has said that the project will support the military in combat, but no further details are available about the exact application due to confidentiality reasons. More than just AI, the US military has even expressed in the past that it is not averse to the future of cybernetic enhancements for soldiers. Google is yet to go public with its planned proposal for the lucrative defense project, but it will definitely attract backlash from employees and put into question its own principles around the ethical use of AI.
The company has continued to work with defense wings over the years, but the projects have mostly revolved around deploying its tech for activities like maintenance of vessels, training, and modernization, and not over projects directly related to warfare. To recall, the defense department has spent billions towards modernization after continuing to use outdated technologies like the floppy disk in the modern age. The Pentagon will announce the winners of its defense contract in April next year, but in the months leading up to it, an intense debate will again happen over ethics around AI and Google is going to face heat from both inside and outside.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/google-military-ai-contract/