What Google’s return to defense AI means
More competition in a hot market—and the plain fact that only the Pentagon will set boundaries.
Patrick Tucker | February 6, 2025 04:10 PM ET
Google has discarded its self-imposed ban on using AI in weapons, a step that simultaneously drew praise and criticism, marked a new entrant in a hot field, and underscored how the Pentagon—not any single company—must act as the primary regulator on how the U.S. military uses AI in combat.
On Tuesday, Google defended its decision to strip its AI-ethics principles of a 2018 prohibition against using AI in ways that might cause harm.
“There’s a global competition taking place for AI leadership within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights,” it reads.
The move is a long-overdue correction to an overcorrection, one person familiar with the company’s decision-making process told Defense One.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2025/02/what-googles-return-defense-ai-means/402816/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary
