Image copyright Steve Jennings Image caption Top Google executive Diane Greene told staff on Friday there would be no renewal of the contract (file pic)

Google will not renew a contract to do artificial intelligence work for the US Pentagon, company sources say.

The decision follows strong opposition in the technology giant's workforce.

A number of Google employees resigned and thousands of others signed a protest petition against taking part in the Pentagon project, known as Maven.

They feared it was the first step towards using artificial intelligence for lethal purposes. There has been no official statement from Google.

According to company sources, top executive Diane Greene told staff on Friday there would be no follow-up after the current contract expired next March.

But Kate Conger, a journalist for the technology news website Gizmodo, told the BBC that Google had not cancelled Project Maven and did not appear to have ruled out future work with the military.

The contract is reported to be worth less than $10m (£7.5m) to Google but could potentially lead to more extensive cooperation with the Pentagon.

Project Maven involves using machine learning and engineering talent to distinguish people and objects in drone videos.

In April up to 4,000 Google employees signed an open letter saying that by its involvement in the project the internet giant was putting users' trust at risk, as well as ignoring its "moral and ethical responsibility".

A report by Gizmodo said that senior leadership at the company was deeply conflicted about the effects of the partnership with the Pentagon.

Internal emails suggested that executives saw the contract as a huge opportunity while being concerned about how the company's involvement would be perceived, Gizmodo said.</s>Over the past few months, Google has attracted criticism for its involvement in 'Project Maven.' The news broke in March that Google was working with the United States Department of Defense to develop artificial intelligence for analyzing footage from military drones. Google downplayed its involvement in the program, saying it was only helping the DoD use the company's open-source TensorFlow software.

The news sparked outrage in the tech community, and even inside Google. Thousands of employees signed a petition asking Sundar Pichai to end the company's involvement in Project Maven, and dozens resigned in protest. According to Gizmodo, Google hoped Proejct Maven would open the door for more lucrative government contracts:

But internal emails reviewed by Gizmodo show that executives viewed Project Maven as a golden opportunity that would open doors for business with the military and intelligence agencies. The emails also show that Google and its partners worked extensively to develop machine learning algorithms for the Pentagon, with the goal of creating a sophisticated system that could surveil entire cities. [...] Google intended to build a “Google-earth-like” surveillance system that would allow Pentagon analysts to “click on a building and see everything associated with it” and build graphs of objects like vehicles, people, land features, and large crowds for “the entire city,” states one email recapping a Maven kickoff meeting with Pentagon representatives. Google’s artificial intelligence would bring “an exquisite capability” for “near-real time analysis,” the email said.

It appears Google has finally conceded, as Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene announced today in a company meeting that the Project Maven contract will not be renewed after it expires in 2019. Google announced in April that it was drafting a set of ethical principles for how its AI will be used, and Greene said the plans will be released next week.</s>Google won't renew a contract with the Pentagon that provides the company's artificially intelligent algorithms to interpret video images and improve the targeting of drone strikes.

That's according to reports in Gizmodo, Buzzfeed, and The New York Times Friday.

The reports said Google Cloud business head Diane Greene told employees of the decision not to renew the 18-month deal past the end of 2019, when the current contract ends.

Google representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

The so-called Project Maven had riled Google employees, including several who quit and thousands of others who signed a petition asking CEO Sundar Pichai to cancel the project and enact a policy renouncing the use of Google technology in warfare.</s>Google says it will not renew a controversial contract with the Defense Department, bowing to public and internal pressure over its contribution to Pentagon drone strikes.

Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene told employees Friday that Google would honor its commitment to the Pentagon's Project Maven program through March 2019, but would not seek a new contract at that time, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Project Maven uses artificial intelligence to enhance drone strikes. Google has also worked to develop machine learning algorithms that would help the Pentagon enhance its surveillance efforts generally.

Google's involvement with the Pentagon has divided staff and 4,000 employees signed a petition demanding "a clear policy stating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology." About a dozen employees resigned in protest.

The news of Google's plan to end its involvement was first reported by Gizmodo. Google has not commented on the matter and will not say whether it plans to cease working with the Pentagon altogether after March 2019.

The source said Google does plan to outline its views on the ethics of its artificial intelligence work at some point in the near future.

The debate over Project Maven comes as military and law enforcement grow increasingly reliant on tech companies to fuel their surveillance efforts. Amazon's decision to share its facial recognition technology with local law enforcement agencies has raised red flags among civil rights groups.

These contracts represent big business opportunities. Gizmodo reports that Google's initial contract with the Pentagon was worth at least $9 million, and possibly as much as $15 million. But they also present a public relations crisis and appear to go against Google's portrayal of itself as an innovative company working in the service of social progress.</s>Google says it will not renew a controversial contract with the Department of Defense. The tech company is responding to both public and internal pressure over it's contribution to Pentagon drone strikes.</s>
• The pressure to stop working with the military appears to have been too much for Google as the company reportedly will not renew a contract to build artificial intelligence tools for the Pentagon.
• According to Gizmodo, company managers notified employees during a meeting Friday.
• Google's relationship with the Department of Defense triggered a civil war inside the company and cast doubt on Google's commitment to its old motto: "Don't be evil."

Facing both public pressure and unrest from within its own company, Google will not renew its contract to help build artificial intelligence tools for the military, according to a report by Gizmodo's Kate Conger.

As part of an effort called Project Maven, Google provides the Pentagon with artificial intelligence technology that speeds up the process of analyzing video images. Google's participation in the program, which critics contend could help increase the accuracy of drone-missile strikes, sparked controversy both inside and outside of Google.

Diane Greene, CEO of Google Cloud, informed employees of the company's decision on Friday, unnamed sources told Gizmodo. She said that the current contract expires in 2019 and won't be renewed, according to the report. Google did not respond to a request for comment.

When the extent of Google's participation in Project Maven became public, it ignited a civil war inside Google. A petition demanding that Google stop cooperating with the military and condemn the creation of AI weapons was signed by thousands of Google employees.

Later, about a dozen Google staffers resigned in protest. Academics and researchers also lashed out at Google for abandoning the company's original motto: "Don't be evil."

The full report from Gizmodo is worth reading, and includes details such as:
• Diane Greene told employees that Google would not choose to pursue Maven because of the controversy it has stirred
• The decision to work on AI for the military was made during a period when Google was "more aggressively pursuing military work"
• Google will publish new principles next week to help govern how the company handles AI in the future.
• Internal emails reviewed by Gizmodo show that Google executives "viewed Project Maven as a golden opportunity" to win other AI contracts, including those pertaining to the military and US intelligence groups.
• The emails show that Google and partners labored to create "machine learning algorithms" and on a "sophisticated system that could surveil entire cities."

Critics of Google's involvement with the military cheered the company's decision. The authors of a letter published last month that demanded Google pull out of Maven and signed by hundreds of academics, researchers and scientists issued a statement to Business Insider.

"We're gratified to see Google take the decision not to renew its contract for Project Maven and to make the decision public," wrote Lucy Suchman, Lilly Irani, and Peter Asaro. "Google has promised to release its ethical policy regarding the development of artificial intelligence technologies next week."

The group says it hopes included in Google's new AI policy will be the promise to never use consumer data in military operations or for mass surveillance, as well as a pledge never to develop military AI applications.</s>That's according to reports in Gizmodo, Buzzfeed, and The New York Times Friday.

The reports said Google Cloud business head Diane Greene told employees of the decision not to renew the 18-month deal past the end of 2019, when the current contract ends.

Google representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

The so-called Project Maven had riled Google employees, including several who quit and thousands of others who signed a petition asking CEO Sundar Pichai to cancel the project and enact a policy renouncing the use of Google technology in warfare.</s>Gizmodo Google Plans Not to Renew Its Contract for Project Maven, a Controversial Pentagon Drone AI</s>Google plans to discontinue a project through which it has been helping the US military use artificial intelligence to analyze drone footage. The contract, part of a Pentagon effort known as Project Maven, sparked a storm of internal unrest and media controversy over Google’s apparent role in weaponizing the use of AI.

Targets acquired: As first reported by Gizmodo, Google has been supplying technology and know-how to the US military for automating the analysis of drone footage. Defense is a huge potential market, but many Google employees were appalled that the company might be helping develop tech that could lead to automated drone strikes.

The war within: The head of Google’s cloud business, Diane Greene, reportedly told staff this week that the company would not seek a new contract after it expires. Previously leaked e-mails show that some AI experts within Google also objected to the program and anticipated the media fallout.

Booming business: This is far from the end of the story. Artificial intelligence will be a key asset in warfare going forward, and other big tech companies are pursuing military AI contracts. As Wired recently pointed out, Project Maven is poised to expand—with or without Google.</s>
• The pressure to stop working with the military appears to have been too much for Google as the company reportedly will not renew a contract to build artificial intelligence tools for the Pentagon.
• According to Gizmodo, company managers notified employees during a meeting Friday.
• Google’s relationship with the Department of Defense triggered a civil war inside the company and cast doubt on Google’s commitment to its old motto: “Don’t be evil.”

Facing both public pressure and unrest from within its own company, Google will not renew its contract to help build artificial intelligence tools for the military, according to a report by Gizmodo’s Kate Conger.

As part of an effort called Project Maven, Google provides the Pentagon with artificial intelligence technology that speeds up the process of analyzing video images. Google’s participation in the program, which critics contend could help increase the accuracy of drone-missile strikes, sparked controversy both inside and outside of Google.

Diane Greene, CEO of Google Cloud, informed employees of the company’s decision on Friday, unnamed sources told Gizmodo. She said that the current contract expires in 2019 and won’t be renewed, according to the report. Google did not respond to a request for comment.

When the extent of Google’s participation in Project Maven became public, it ignited a civil war inside Google. A petition demanding that Google stop cooperating with the military and condemn the creation of AI weapons was signed by thousands of Google employees.

Later, about a dozen Google staffers resigned in protest. Academics and researchers also lashed out at Google for abandoning the company’s original motto: “Don’t be evil.”

The full report from Gizmodo is worth reading, and includes details such as:
• Diane Greene told employees that Google would not choose to pursue Maven because of the controversy it has stirred
• The decision to work on AI for the military was made during a period when Google was “more aggressively pursuing military work”
• Google will publish new principles next week to help govern how the company handles AI in the future.
• Internal emails reviewed by Gizmodo show that Google executives “viewed Project Maven as a golden opportunity” to win other AI contracts, including those pertaining to the military and US intelligence groups.
• The emails show that Google and partners labored to create “machine learning algorithms” and on a “sophisticated system that could surveil entire cities.”
Google reports that they will not renew a contract with the U.S. military to develop machine learning algorithms for drones.