Google bans artificial-intelligence that could be used for weapons

Google is banning the development of artificial-intelligence (AI) software that can be used in weapons, chief executive Sundar Mr Pichai said, setting strict new ethical guidelines for how the tech giant should conduct business in an age of increasingly powerful AI. The new rules could set the tone for the deployment of AI far beyond Google, as rivals in Silicon Valley and around the world compete for supremacy in self-driving cars, automated assistants, robotics, military AI and other industries. "We recognise that such powerful technology raises equally powerful questions about its use," Mr Mr Pichai wrote in a blog post. "As a leader in AI, we feel a special responsibility to get this right." Google reveals'terrifying' bot to call people and pretend to be human The ethical principles are a response to a firestorm of employee resignations and public criticism over a Google contract with the US Defence Department for software that could help analyse drone video, which critics argued had nudged the company one step closer to the "business of war." Google executives said last week that they would not renew the deal for the military's AI endeavour, known as Project Maven, when it expires next year.