René Mayrhofer, a former Android security director at Google, resigned over the company's deal to let the Pentagon use its Gemini AI for classified military work. He stated leadership "has lost its moral compass" and expressed concerns about the "any lawful purpose" clause potentially enabling mass surveillance and direct harm.
The inquiry came after a Guardian investigation revealed Israel used company technology to support mass surveillance of Palestinian phone callsThe head of Microsoft’s Israeli subsidiary will step down in the wake of an inquiry that has scrutinised its business dealings with the Israeli military.Microsoft ordered the inquiry last year in response to a Guardian investigation revealing the military had used the company’s technology to operate a powerful surveillance system that collected Palestinian civilian phone calls on a mass scale. Continue reading...
Hundreds of Google employees are protesting a potential Pentagon contract, urging CEO Sundar Pichai to block the use of the company's AI for secret military projects. Workers fear their technology could be used for lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance, demanding Google reject all classified workloads to ensure AI benefits humanity.
Google has granted the U.S. Department of Defense access to its AI for classified networks, following similar deals with OpenAI and xAI. The agreement comes after Anthropic refused unrestricted Pentagon access over concerns about domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, leading the DoD to label the company a 'supply-chain risk.' Anthropic is now suing the DoD, with a judge last month granting an injunction against the designation.
