Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Thursday May 31 2018, @07:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the Don't-be-Evil? dept.

Google promises ethical principles to guide development of military AI

Google is drawing up a set of guidelines that will steer its involvement in developing AI tools for the military, according to a report from The New York Times. What exactly these guidelines will stipulate isn't clear, but Google says they will include a ban on the use of artificial intelligence in weaponry. The principles are expected to be announced in full in the coming weeks. They are a response to the controversy over the company's decision to develop AI tools for the Pentagon that analyze drone surveillance footage.

[...] But the question facing these employees (and Google itself) is: where do you draw the line? Does using machine learning to analyze surveillance footage for the military count as "weaponized AI"? Probably not. But what if that analysis informs future decisions about drone strikes? Does it matter then? How would Google even know if this had happened?

Also at VentureBeat and Engadget.

Previously: Google vs Maven
Google Employees on Pentagon AI Algorithms: "Google Should Not be in the Business of War"
About a Dozen Google Employees Have Resigned Over Project Maven


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by MostCynical on Thursday May 31 2018, @10:40AM (2 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Thursday May 31 2018, @10:40AM (#686657) Journal

    With apps and data, security is either there from the beginning, or missing. No amount of patching ever gives you 100%.

    Same with ethics.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Insightful=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday May 31 2018, @11:04AM (1 child)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday May 31 2018, @11:04AM (#686666) Journal

    With apps and data, security is either there from the beginning, or missing. No amount of patching ever gives you 100%.

    Same with ethics.

    Ummm... let me try to de-reference the similitude suggested at the end of your comment, see if I got it right:
    "With ethics, security is either there from the beginning, or missing."

    (grin)

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday May 31 2018, @11:20AM

      by MostCynical (2589) on Thursday May 31 2018, @11:20AM (#686671) Journal

      Google might have locked any ethics in a very secure cabinet, but instead they quietly had them put down, stuffed, and mounted in a break room as a reminder to google employees who might be feeling twinges of conscience.

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex