Google adjourns AI ethics board following protests & online petition

An online petition had called on Google to single out Kay Coles James (Heritage Foundation) from the council that was formed a week ago.

Technology giant Google has confirmed the dissolution of its recently formed AI ethics advisory panel on the grounds of controversies regarding its membership. Incidentally, the termination of the Advanced Technology External Advisory Council has come in just a few days after some of Google’s employees started a public campaign opposing the membership of the president of conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation.

According to reports, Google confirmed that in the face of the current scenario, ATEAC cannot function as the company expects, prompting the dissolution of the council. However, the firm plans to find alternative ways to collate inputs pertaining to the responsible usage of AI.

Sources familiar with the matter claimed that an online petition had apparently called on Google to single out Kay Coles James (Heritage Foundation) from the council formed a week ago, solely on account of James having been rather vocal about her opinions on immigrants and the LGBTQ community. Reportedly, the online petition depicted over 2,300 signatures from Google employees, academicians, and even industry peers.

The controversy has come at a time when the world has been confronting the issue of balancing the potential benefits of AI alongside the risks that the deployment of this technology could pose, including its usage against people or even against its own creators, should the end-product be given a mind of its own.

In response to the controversy surrounding James’ inclusion in the council, a spokesperson from Google claimed that the company will continue to depict high-level responsibility pertaining to its operations regarding the obstacles that AI deployment may plausibly raise. The firm will unearth various ways of obtaining opinions on these topics, the spokesperson clarified further.

For the record, the California-based internet giant, that is already a leader in AI development, had published a set of internal AI principles last year, the first of which claimed AI to be socially beneficial.