Google's star AI ethics researcher, one of a few Black women in the field, says she was fired for a critical email

In a companywide email Thursday, first published in Platformer, Dean urged employees to continue working on Google's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. "Given Timnit's role as a respected researcher and a manager in our Ethical AI team, I feel badly that Timnit has gotten to a place where she feels this way about the work we're doing," he wrote. "I also feel badly that hundreds of you received an email just this week from Timnit telling you to stop work on critical DEI programs. I understand the frustration about the pace of progress, but we have important work ahead and we need to keep at it."