Google drops pledges of not using AI for weapon development

[Admin]

Google's parent company, Alphabet, has dropped its promise to never use AI for things like weapons or surveillance.

They recently updated their principles for AI use and removed a part that ruled out uses that might "cause harm."



In a blog post, two top executives, James Manyika and Demis Hassabis, explained the change. They said businesses and democratic governments need to work together on AI that supports national security.

There's a lot of debate about how AI should be governed and how to balance commercial interests with the risks it poses to humanity. This is especially true when it comes to using AI in warfare and surveillance.

Alphabet's original AI guidelines, set in 2018, needed an update since the technology has changed a lot. AI has gone from being a research project to something millions of people use every day, much like the internet and smartphones.

Now, Alphabet is working on new AI guidelines that can be used more broadly. They believe democratic countries should lead in AI development, focused on values like freedom and equality. They also think companies, governments, and organizations that share these values should work together to create AI that's safe and helps global growth.

This announcement came right before Alphabet's end-of-year financial report, which showed weaker-than-expected results. Despite this, Alphabet said it plans to spend $75 billion on AI projects this year, a 29% increase from analysts' predictions. The company is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, research, and applications like AI-powered search.

Google's AI platform, Gemini, now appears in Google search results and on Google Pixel phones, offering AI-generated summaries.

In the past, Google's founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, pushed the motto "don't be evil." After restructuring in 2015, the parent company adopted "Do the right thing." But Google employees have sometimes disagreed with leadership. In 2018, they protested AI work with the Pentagon, fearing it could lead to AI being used for military purposes.