Google staff resign in backlash over its AI contracts with military

Google staff have resigned in protest over the company's contracts with the US military, which involve the development of artificial intelligence (AI) used in drone warfare. The resignations come after a group of employees wrote an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, expressing their concerns over the company's involvement in the development of AI technology used in Project Maven, a US Department of Defense (DoD) program aimed at using AI to analyze drone footage. The project has been shrouded in controversy, with many employees arguing that Google's involvement in the project contradicts the company's stated values of 'do no harm'. The resignations are a significant blow to Google's AI business, which is a key area of focus for the company. One of the resigners, a software engineer, said that Google's involvement in the project 'goes against everything that I believe in', while another employee stated that the company's actions were 'not aligned with the company's values'. The US DoD has confirmed that it will continue to work with Google on the project, despite the resignations.