According to France24, the above change was announced just a few weeks after CEO Sundar Pichai and many technology leaders attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
When asked by AFP about the change, a Google representative pointed to a blog post on the company's AI principles, which no longer mentioned the commitments Pichai made in 2018.
In a post shared by DeepMind head Demis Hassabis and senior vice president James Manyika, Google emphasized the role of democracies in leading AI development, based on values such as freedom, equality, and respect for human rights. They also called for collaboration between companies, governments, and organizations that share the vision of developing AI in a way that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.
Pichai previously said Google would not design or deploy AI for lethal weapons or surveillance that violates international standards, but those statements were removed from the company’s latest AI principles update.
After taking office, US President Donald Trump quickly rescinded his predecessor’s executive order requiring AI companies to comply with safety regulations. This means that technology companies leading the AI race are no longer bound by obligations such as reporting test results if the technology poses a serious risk to the country, economy or citizens.
Google said it will continue to publish annual reports on its AI activities and progress. Mr. Hassabis and Manyika stressed that AI is becoming an integral part of the daily lives of billions of people around the world, and also mentioned fierce global competition in the field.
Google's original AI principles were introduced after the company faced backlash from employees over its involvement in a Pentagon research project that aimed to use AI to improve the target recognition capabilities of weapons systems. Google later decided to end its involvement in the project.
