Google Won't Renew Controversial Pentagon AI Project

The backlash to Google's work on a US military artificial-intelligence project began inside the tech giant, but in recent weeks, it has spilled into the public. As employees resigned in protest over Google's work with Project Maven, which uses AI to identify potential drone targets in satellite images, reports revealed top executives fretting over how it will be perceived by the public. On Friday, Google changed course, as Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene announced internally that the company will not renew the contract for Project Maven, according to Gizmodo. The current contract expires in 2019. Google's precise involvement in the project is not clear, but the relationship has caused enough controversy inside the company that several employees have quit in protest and more than 4,000 employees signed a petition arguing against the contract.