Google DeepMind Engineers Resign Over AI Military Contracts, Cite Governance Concerns

The BBC reported on October 21 that Google is facing opposition from some employees over the use of its artificial intelligence technology for military purposes. Sofia Liguori, a research engineer based in London, resigned from Google DeepMind this week and spoke to the BBC about her concerns despite contractual restrictions.

Liguori said she decided to leave because of Google's increasing collaboration with the U.S. and Israeli militaries. "I felt ashamed to work at Google when I realised my company was increasingly pushing AI systems into military operations," she said in a personal capacity.

Andreas Kirsch, another AI researcher, also resigned from Google DeepMind earlier this month over similar concerns. Kirsch said Google's governance and oversight were inadequate to deploy AI safely and responsibly in military and classified environments, and to safely develop artificial superintelligence in the future. He added that Google appeared to have limited control or veto power over how the Pentagon uses its AI, and limited awareness of how it is deployed.

Google is one of several technology companies that signed contracts with the U.S. military earlier this year to deploy AI in classified military environments. The agreements allow Google's AI models to be used for "any lawful government purpose," while prohibiting use for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without appropriate human oversight and control. OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, Nvidia and startup Reflection signed similar contracts.

In response, a Google spokesperson said the company follows a consistent process to review and sign contracts, including compliance with its acceptable use policy and AI principles, and provides channels for employees to raise concerns safely, with strict workplace policies against retaliation.