Google Vows not to use Artificial Intelligence for Weapons, SurveillanceTop Stories

June 08, 2018 06:42
Google Vows not to use Artificial Intelligence for Weapons, Surveillance

(Image source from: NBC Bay Area)

Google, an American multinational company has proclaimed on Thursday during the product event at San Francisco that it will not use artificial intelligence in applications related to weapons, the scrutiny that violates international standards or that functions in ways that go against human rights.

The ethical flag has been ingrained in the use of AI confirming that it would not regenerate a contract with United States military to use its AI technology to analyze drone footage.

Google's Chief Executive Officer spelled out the principles in a blog post, commit the company to building AI applications that are socially beneficial, that avoid reinforcing or creating prejudice and that is accountable to people.

Google, the search giant had been explicating a patchwork of policies around these ethical questions since years, merely eventually put them in writing.

Apart from proclaiming the principles public, Mr. Pichai didn't specify how Google or its parent alphabet would be responsible for conforming to them.

He said that Google would continue working with regimes and the military or noncombat applications involving such things as veterans health care and search and rescue.

"This approach is consistent with the values laid out in our original founders’ letter back in 2004," Mr. Pichai wrote, citing the document in which Larry Page and Sergey Brin set out their vision for the company to "organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Mr. Pichai said the latest principles help it take a long-term perspective even if it means making short-term trade-offs.

Peter Asaro, vice chairman of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, said this week that Google's backing off from the project was good news because it slows down a potential AI arms race over autonomous weapons systems. What's more, letting the contract expire was fundamental to Google's business model, which relies on gathering mass amounts of user data, he said.

"They're a company that's very much aware of their image in the public conscious," he said. "They want people to trust them and trust them with their data."

By Sowmya Sangam

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