Google is in the process of drafting rules for cooperation with the US military in the field of artificial intelligence. One of those rules will be that the military may not use Google’s technology for weapons.
Google will announce the rules internally sometime in the coming weeks, The New York Times reports. It is unknown whether those rules will also come out. Google will partner with the US military because the contract will generate a lot of money for research into artificial intelligence.
The specific project for the US Pentagon, also known as Project Maven, involves Google software in which the military uses machine learning to interpret video images, which soldiers can then use.
Many Google employees are against the partnership, saying it doesn’t fit the search company and their own values. Concerned employees fear that the technology will be used, for example, to target drone attacks more effectively, something they believe Google should stay well away from. They believe that not algorithms, but people should be used for this potentially deadly work. In early April, nearly 4,000 Google employees have already protested against this project. A dozen employees have already resigned because of the collaboration.