Alphabet, the parent company of technology giant Google, is no longer promising that it will never use artificial intelligence (AI) for purposes such as developing weapons and surveillance tools.
The firm has rewritten the principles guiding its use of AI, dropping a section which ruled out uses that were “likely to cause harm”.
In a blog post Google senior vice president James Manyika, and Demis Hassabis, who leads the AI lab Google DeepMind, defended the move.
They argue businesses and democratic governments need to work together on AI that “supports national security”.
There is debate amongst AI experts and professionals over how the powerful new technology should be governed in broad terms, how far commercial gains should be allowed to determine its direction, and how best to guard against risks for humanity in general.
There is also controversy around the use of AI on the battlefield and in surveillance technologies.
The blog said the company’s original AI principles published in 2018 needed to be updated as the technology had evolved.
“Billions of people are using AI in their everyday lives. AI has become a general-purpose technology, and a platform which countless organisations and individuals use to build applications.
“It has moved from a niche research topic in the lab to a technology that is becoming as pervasive as mobile phones and the internet itself,” the blog post said.
As a result baseline AI principles were also being developed, which could guide common strategies, it said.
However, Mr Hassabis and Mr Manyika said the geopolitical landscape was becoming increasingly complex.
“We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality and respect for human rights,” the blog post said.
“And we believe that companies, governments and organisations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth and supports national security.”
The blog post was published just ahead of Alphabet’s end of year financial report, showing results that were weaker than market expectations, and knocking back its share price.
That was despite a 10% rise in revenue from digital advertising, its biggest earner, boosted by US election spending.
In its earnings report the company said it would spend $75bn ($60bn) on AI projects this year, 29% more than Wall Street analysts had expected.
The company is investing in the infrastructure to run AI, AI research, and applications such as AI-powered search.
Google’s AI platform Gemini now appears at the top of Google search results, offering an AI written summary, and pops up on Google Pixel phones.
Originally, long before the current surge of interest in the ethics of AI, Google’s founders, Sergei Brin and Larry Page, said their motto for the firm was “don’t be evil”. When the company was restructured under the name Alphabet Inc in 2015 the parent company switched to “Do the right thing”.
Since then Google staff have sometimes pushed back against the approach taken by their executives. In 2018 the firm did not renew a contract for AI work with the US Pentagon following a resignations and a petition signed by thousands of employees.
They feared “Project Maven” was the first step towards using artificial intelligence for lethal purposes.