Google workers urge Pichai to reject classified Pentagon AI work

Hundreds of Google workers are urging CEO Sundar Pichai not to make the company’s AI systems available for classified Pentagon work.

Hundreds of Google employees are pressing CEO Sundar Pichai to keep the company’s artificial intelligence systems out of classified Pentagon work, warning in an open letter that such a move could expose the technology to dangerous military uses and damage Google’s standing.

The employees, who CBS News reported are assigned to AI systems, raised the concern as Google negotiates a possible agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its AI in classified work, according to reporting from The Information cited by CBS.

“We feel that our proximity to this technology creates a responsibility to highlight and prevent its most unethical and dangerous uses,” the letter said. “Therefore, we ask you to refuse to make our AI systems available for classified workloads.”

The workers wrote that they fear Google’s systems could be used in “inhumane or extremely harmful ways” if made available for military applications. The letter cited lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance as examples of applications they consider especially troubling.

The appeal underscores a growing tension for major AI companies as government agencies seek access to powerful commercial tools and workers press employers to set limits on military and intelligence uses. The employees warned that “making the wrong call right now would cause irreparable damage to Google’s reputation, business and role in the world.”

Neither Google nor the Pentagon immediately responded to CBS News’ request for comment on the letter.

The issue is not limited to Google. OpenAI earlier this year reached an agreement with the Pentagon that included a commitment by the Defense Department not to use OpenAI technology for mass domestic surveillance or to direct autonomous weapons systems, CBS reported.

For now, the status of Google’s talks with the Defense Department remains unresolved. The workers’ letter puts public pressure on Pichai to draw a line before any classified AI agreement is finalized.