Hundreds of Google employees have signed an open letter to CEO Sundar Pichai, asking him to refuse any request that would allow the US Department of Defense to use the company’s artificial intelligence tools for classified operations.
Ethical concerns over military AI
The letter, written by staff working on AI projects, expresses alarm over ongoing discussions between Google and the Pentagon. “We feel that our proximity to this technology creates a responsibility to highlight and prevent its most unethical and dangerous uses,” the employees wrote. They specifically asked management not to make Google’s AI systems available for “classified workloads,” arguing that the technology is not suited for such environments and is prone to mistakes.
Risks of misuse and reputational damage
The employees warned that AI could be deployed in lethal autonomous weapons or large-scale surveillance programs. “We want to see AI benefit humanity,” they said, adding that a poor decision at this stage could seriously damage Google’s reputation, business, and global standing. Their concerns echo a similar agreement made by OpenAI earlier this year with the Pentagon, which excluded the use of its technology for autonomous weapons or mass domestic surveillance.