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Google will now allow its artificial intelligence (AI) to be used for weapons and surveillance. The company dropped the policies it set up in 2018 to prevent AI from military use. The change comes as US tech companies race to stay ahead of China in developing advanced AI.
A section of Google’s 2018 AI principles that prohibits “technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall harm” has been removed, The Washington Post first reported. Instead, the company will now evaluate projects based on whether “benefits substantially outweigh potential risks.”
DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Senior Vice President James Manyika announced the change in a company blog post. “We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights,” they wrote.
The former Google’s ethical AI team wasn’t particularly happy with the change. “Having that removed is erasing the work that so many people in the ethical AI space and the activist space had done at Google,” said Margaret Mitchell, who previously co-led the team. She warned the change could lead to Google “deploying technology directly that can kill people.”
Google’s reversal follows the footsteps of other major AI developers already working with the Pentagon. OpenAI recently teamed up with weapons maker Anduril, and Anthropic is working with defense contractor Palantir to provide AI tools to U.S. intelligence agencies.
Michael Horowitz, a former Pentagon emerging technologies advisor, supported the move. “Google’s announcement is more evidence that the relationship between the U.S. technology sector and [Defense Department] continues to get closer,” he said.
Concerns over China’s AI advancements are increasing. Last week, a Chinese company called DeepSeek released an AI system that rivals ChatGPT, making some fear the U.S. is falling behind.
Google has taken a sharp turn from its 2018 position when employee protests against Project Maven, a Pentagon drone analysis contract, led to the original AI principles. Thousands of workers had signed an open letter declaring Google should not be in the “business of war.”
More than 50 employees have been fired for speaking out against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion deal with Israel’s government. Records show Google gave Israel’s military more access to AI tools after Hamas attacked in October 2023.
The news came as Google reported making less money than expected: $96.5 billion in the last three months of 2024. Still, the company plans to spend $75 billion next year building more AI systems.
