One signal

Update

What changed

The BBC’s latest account names René Mayrhofer, formerly Android’s director of platform security, as another Google departure linked to the company’s military work. Mayrhofer resigned in June and wrote in a farewell letter that leaving had become “unavoidable”, the BBC reports.

Google DeepMind research engineer Sofia Liguori told the BBC she left this week after three years at the company, having lost faith in its stated ethical values. She also said her employment contract effectively prevents her from criticising the company publicly for life.

The BBC reports that Amazon, like OpenAI and Microsoft, has signed a Pentagon agreement to deploy AI in classified military environments this year. Google says its public-sector contracts follow its acceptable-use policies and AI principles, and that staff have protected channels to raise concerns.

Sources and evidence

• Google deepmind staff resign over military AI contracts, citing fear of retaliation – Wocult: The BBC reports that former Google security director René Mayrhofer resigned in June over the company’s military work, that Sofia Liguori says she left this week and is effectively barred from public criticism by her employment contract, and that Amazon, OpenAI and Microsoft have also signed Pentagon agreements for classified AI deployment. Google says its contracts comply with its policies and that staff can raise concerns through protected channels.

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