>
Article snippet: Google’s decision not to renew a controversial artificial intelligence (AI) contract with the Pentagon has reignited a debate about what Silicon Valley’s role should be with regard to the military and war. Google, facing internal pressure, told employees during a meeting on Friday that it would not renew its contract with the Defense Department’s flagship AI program, known as Project Maven, after it expires in 2019, according to multiple reports. The contract sparked a public relations crisis after a handful of employees reportedly resigned in protest and thousands of employees signed a letter urging the company’s CEO not to allow Google to be drafted into the “business of war.” Project Maven had recruited Google to help advance technology like surveillance drones, which are used to track the whereabouts of terrorist organizations and uncover devised plots before they unfold. Bob Work, a former deputy Defense secretary who established Project Maven in April 2017, told The Hill on Monday that he is still holding out hope that Google will reconsider. If they do not, he said it would be unfortunate and could result in other technology companies divorcing themselves from Maven and similar projects. “I worry that a lot of companies will look at Google and say, ‘Wow, if Google isn’t going to work with the Department of Defense, maybe I shouldn’t either.’ So I’m hoping that this is not going to turn into any type of stampede,” Work said. Employees at Google and critics... Link to the full article to read more