Google ouster of top AI researcher Timnit Gebru draws sharp new scrutiny of how it treats Black employees

Google's dismissal of a top artificial intelligence researcher vocal about the company's failures to address the lack of diversity in its workforce has drawn sharp new scrutiny of its treatment of Black employees, particularly women. Timnit Gebru says she was fired via email after refusing to retract a research paper that asked tough questions about a type of artificial intelligence, including Google's use of it. Jeff Dean, Google's executive in charge of AI, told employees in an email that Gebru's paper did not follow the rules for work published externally. Some 2,000 Google employees signed a petition protesting the company's handling of the situation. Academic researchers called out Google on social media in a rare and widespread rebuke.