Google wanted AI researchers to ‘strike a positive tone’ on the company

google-ai-keynote-billboard.jpg

That’s not how ethics works, Google.

What you need to know

  • Google began intervening in research papers by asking researchers to “strike a positive tone” when referring to the company’s work.
  • Former Ethical AI head, Timnit Gebru, was fired for her paper criticizing Google’s language models.
  • Gebru’s paper has since been accepted by an outside scientific group.

Amid Google’s already troubling legal battles around how it handles Search and ads, Google still faces internal struggles on its handling of former Ethical AI co-head, Timnit Gebru’s departure. After presenting her research paper on the concerns of largely unchecked AI language models, such as those used in Google’s search tools and the best Android phones, the company dismissed her paper saying it didn’t account for new efforts Google was making to address these concerns, and therefore dismissed Gebru. That’s putting it plainly, as the situation has presented itself a bit more complicated, but some information from Reuters shines a brighter light on how Google approached the paper.

According to internal policy changes that went into effect in June, Google began requiring its research staff to consult with legal and PR teams before pursuing certain topics that could be deemed as sensitive. These topics include race, gender, political affiliation, and face analysis, with the policy stating that these “seemingly inoffensive projects raise ethical, reputational, regulatory or legal issues.”

“This doesn’t mean we should hide from the real challenges.”

Adding to this, researchers were asked that they “take great care to strike a positive tone.” According to employees at Google Research, papers that were openly critical about Google’s practices faced a much higher level of scrutiny than those that were not.

“It’s being framed as the AI optimists and the people really building the stuff [versus] the rest of us negative Nellies, raining on their parade,” said one outside AI expert. This is where Gebru’s paper comes in.

Since 2016, the tech industry had grown more concerned over the ethical practices surrounding how AI is used. Google created the Ethical AI group in 2018, around the same time that it recruited Gebru with the promise of total academic freedom. Already pretty well regarded in her field, she took the position and, with the help of University of Washington linguist, Emily M. Bender, presented a draft on the paper that later led to her dismissal.

Google maintains that it did not fire her, but “accepted her resignation.” But the outcry from Google’s employees, as well as U.S. Senators, ask for full details on an internal investigation on the matter. Gebru’s paper has since been accepted by the Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency.

Get More Pixel 4a

Google Pixel 4a



pixel-4a-render-front.jpg

$349 at Amazon
$350 at Best Buy

  • Google Pixel 4a review
  • Best Pixel 4a cases
  • Best Pixel 4a screen protectors

Related posts

Latest posts

Google gives memory superpowers to Gemini for more natural chats

You will no longer have to look up past chats with Google’s chatbot. Thanks to the memory feature, it can now recall details from previous conversations.

Android 16’s latest beta promises deeper mobile photography controls

With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is upgrading the camera app framework with a hybrid exposure system, and granular controls for color temperature and tint levels.

Why are really old iPhones suddenly so popular?

In a trend driven by K-pop stars and celebrities in South Korea, old iPhone models and digital cameras have become a desirable accessory.

Apple is working on a mini-LED Studio Display, but the iMac Pro is nowhere to be found

Apple’s Studio Display could soon get a mini-LED upgrade to elevate it for professional users. Yet it’s also made me wonder if the iMac Pro is ever coming back.

Dell slashed the price of the Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop with RTX 4080 by $420

The Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card and 32GB of RAM is available from Dell for $2,380 following a $420 discount.

Possible iPhone 17 Air design looks strangely familiar

A fantastic concept video for the iPhone 17 Air has been released. It looks impressive yet somewhat familiar.

Like T-Mobile? You can pay your phone bill by playing games

T-Mobile customers can now work toward paying their monthly bill by playing mobile games in the Ad It Up app.

Galaxy S24 owners could fall a whole Android version behind the Pixel

If you own a Samsung device but not the new Galaxy S25, we have unfortunate news for you.

The competition between AMD and Nvidia is finally heating up

Nvidia has just announced the release date for its next GPU, and AMD is ready to compete.

Meta’s next big bet might be AI humanoid robots for at-home chores

Meta is reportedly moving forward with AI-powered humanoid robots. They will be developed by the same division that is behind its AI and wearable efforts.