Google Lifts AI Ban on Weapons and Surveillance

Google has revised its AI principles, lifting its ban on using artificial intelligence (AI) for the development of weapons and surveillance tools.

What Did the Previous Principles State?

In 2018, Google established its Responsible AI Principles to guide the ethical use of artificial intelligence in its products and services. Among these was a clear commitment not to develop AI applications intended for use in weapons or where the primary purpose was surveillance. The company also pledged not to design or deploy AI that would cause overall harm or contravene widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.