Connect with us

Tech

Google sacks newly formed AI ethics board

Published

on

Google sacks newly formed AI ethics board

Google’s Advanced Technology External Advisory Council has been disbanded after it was recently put in place by the search engine giants.

The ethics board was supposed to oversee its work on artificial intelligence and ensure it doesn’t cross any lines, but the board has been unceremoniously sacked.

Now, the council wouldn’t be able to do any of that, because the tech giant has officially cancelled it just a bit over a week after it was announced.

According to Vox, the project was falling apart from the start due to Google’s decision to name controversial figures as members of the board.

The most problematic of them was perhaps Kay Coles James, the president of Heritage Foundation, which has long advocated against LGBT rights.

Read also: Study reveals dogs can smell, detect epileptic seizures

The group also has a long history of climate change denial and anti-immigrant sentiments.

James, as the head of the foundation, espouses those views and is very vocally anti-trans and anti-equality. Shortly after the council was announced with her as part of the panel, a group of Google employees called for her removal.

In the group’s letter, they pointed out that current AI technologies’ flaws mostly affect trans people, persons of color and immigrants, so James isn’t the best person for a council formed to guide the responsible development of AI.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now