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We had submissions from two Soylentils concerning recent employee reaction to Google's participation in the Pentagon's "Project Maven" program:
Google Workers Urge C.E.O. to Pull Out of Pentagon A.I. Project
Submitted via IRC for fyngyrz
Thousands of Google employees, including dozens of senior engineers, have signed a letter protesting the company's involvement in a Pentagon program that uses artificial intelligence to interpret video imagery and could be used to improve the targeting of drone strikes.
The letter [pdf], which is circulating inside Google and has garnered more than 3,100 signatures, reflects a culture clash between Silicon Valley and the federal government that is likely to intensify as cutting-edge artificial intelligence is increasingly employed for military purposes.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/technology/google-letter-ceo-pentagon-project.html
Google Employees on Pentagon AI Algorithms: "Google Should Not be in the Business of War"
Thousands of Google employees have signed a letter protesting the development of "Project Maven", which would use machine learning algorithms to analyze footage from U.S. military drones:
Last month, it was announced that Google was offering its resources to the US Department of Defense for Project Maven, a research initiative to develop computer vision algorithms that can analyze drone footage. In response, more than 3,100 Google employees have signed a letter urging Google CEO Sundar Pichai to reevaluate the company's involvement, as "Google should not be in the business of war," as reported by The New York Times.
Work on Project Maven began last April, and while details on what Google is actually providing to the DOD are not clear, it is understood that it's a Pentagon research initiative for improved analysis of drone footage. In a press statement, a Google spokesperson confirmed that the company was giving the DOD access to its open-source TensorFlow software, used in machine learning applications that are capable of understanding the contents of photos.
Previously: Google vs Maven
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 05 2018, @06:18PM (3 children)
If we're ignored, we can walk down the street to the next company, get a raise, and not have to worry that our work is supporting evil.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday April 05 2018, @06:31PM
Yeah - good luck with that. Presuming that you are what you appear to claim - a Google employee - I salute your idealism, and your willingness to stand up and be counted. That latter trait is far to rare these days. But, so long as you work for someone else - anyone else - you will be exploited for whatever purpose the employer deems appropriate.
Go ahead, be counted. But I'm pretty certain how the count will go.
A MAN Just Won a Gold Medal for Punching a Woman in the Face
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday April 05 2018, @06:38PM (1 child)
Maybe once, or a few times. Then you quickly get the reputation as a trouble maker, unreliable, and become un-hire-able.
Then you start your own company. With like minded people. And you soon find out they (and you) are impossible to work with.
You think nobody checks references any more?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 05 2018, @09:08PM
Gotta pick your battles. If I felt so strongly that working for Google had turned into working for the evil empire, I would look for another job at a company that I found more congenial. The market is good right now, and I can afford to have principles.