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posted by Fnord666 on Monday April 08 2019, @02:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the universal-solvent dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Google dissolves AI ethics board just one week after forming it

Google today disclosed that it has dissolved a short-lived, external advisory board designed to monitor its use of artificial intelligence, following a week of controversy regarding the company’s selection of members. The decision, reported first today by Vox, is largely due to outcry over the board’s inclusion of Heritage Foundation president Kay Coles James, a noted conservative figure who has openly espoused anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and, through the Heritage Foundation, fought efforts to extend rights to transgender individuals and to combat climate change.

The advisory board, called the Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC), included a number of prominent academics in fields ranging from AI and philosophy to psychology and robotics. But it also included those with policy backgrounds, like James and members of former US presidential administrations.

The goal was ostensibly to inform Google’s AI work and to ensure it was following its AI Principles, set out last year by CEO Sundar Pichai after revelations the company was participating in a Pentagon drone project that made use of the company’s machine learning research. Google has since said it will stop working on the project and has pledged never to develop AI weaponry or work on any project or application of AI that violates “internationally accepted norms” or “widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.”

“It’s become clear that in the current environment, ATEAC can’t function as we wanted,” a Google spokesperson told The Verge. “So we’re ending the council and going back to the drawing board. We’ll continue to be responsible in our work on the important issues that AI raises, and will find different ways of getting outside opinions on these topics.”


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  • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday April 08 2019, @06:36PM (3 children)

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 08 2019, @06:36PM (#826313) Journal

    Is this a markov chain bot?

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:35AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:35AM (#826490)

    No, I am a fan of personal choice, accountability, responsibility, idiosyncrasies, and and individual roles. It is precious and beautiful when found in literature, that is what makes reading fun. However, in real life we have seen that does not work because criminal republicans take advantage.

    • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday April 09 2019, @05:51AM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Tuesday April 09 2019, @05:51AM (#826565) Homepage Journal

      The Republican Party will become the Party of Choice!

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday April 09 2019, @10:30AM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 09 2019, @10:30AM (#826647) Journal

      No, I am a fan of personal choice, accountability, responsibility, idiosyncrasies, and and individual roles. It is precious and beautiful when found in literature, that is what makes reading fun. However, in real life we have seen that does not work because criminal republicans take advantage.

      Doesn't sound like you're a fan to me. When you're willing to forgo something because someone will misuse it, then you didn't really want it. There's always evil people and idiots out there. Should we stop sucking air because someone says evil things with that air? Time to grow up.