Silke Mayr The tech giant has revised its AI development principles. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, removed a ban on using AI for weapons and surveillance. The company had long prohibited applications “likely to cause harm,” but this restriction has been lifted.
In a blog post, Google argued for collaboration between businesses and democratic governments to ensure AI “supports national security.”
Google emphasized that democratic nations should lead AI development based on core values like freedom and human rights. Companies, governments, and organizations sharing these principles, it said, should cooperate to build AI that protects people and fosters global growth.
AI experts remain divided over how AI should be governed, how much commercial interests should influence its direction, and how to mitigate risks to humanity. The use of AI in warfare and surveillance remains a controversial issue.
The blog, co-authored by James Manyika and Demis Hassabis, leaders at Google DeepMind, noted that the company’s 2018 AI principles required updates due to the rapid evolution of AI. The blog highlighted AI’s transformation from a niche research field into a technology as common as mobile phones and the internet.
The post also introduced the idea of creating baseline AI principles to guide future strategies.
Before the AI ethics debate gained momentum, Google followed the motto “don’t be evil,” introduced by its founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. However, after restructuring under Alphabet Inc. in 2015, the company shifted its slogan to “do the right thing.”
Google employees have occasionally resisted executive decisions. In 2018, the company ended its AI work with the US Pentagon after employee protests against “Project Maven.” Workers feared this project marked the beginning of AI’s use in lethal military applications.
The blog was released shortly before Alphabet’s end-of-year financial report, which fell below market expectations and lowered its share price. Despite weak results, Alphabet reported a 10% revenue increase in digital advertising, boosted by US election spending.
The company also announced plans to spend $75 billion on AI initiatives, 29% higher than what analysts had predicted. These investments will fund AI research, infrastructure, and applications like AI-powered search.