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Google Plans Not To Renew its Contract for Project Maven, a Controversial Drone AI Imaging Program (gizmodo.com)
Kate Konger, reporting for Gizmodo: Google will not seek another contract for its controversial work providing artificial intelligence to the U.S. Department of Defense for analyzing drone footage after its current contract expires. Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene announced the decision at a meeting with employees Friday morning, three sources told Gizmodo. The current contract expires in 2019 and there will not be a follow-up contract, Greene said. The meeting, dubbed Weather Report, is a weekly update on Google Cloud's business. Google would not choose to pursue Maven today because the backlash has been terrible for the company, Greene said, adding that the decision was made at a time when Google was more aggressively pursuing military work. The company plans to unveil new ethical principles about its use of AI next week.
Well I do not expect the Department of Defense to shrug, say "oh well..." and move along.
They will find a new partner (maybe Yahoo! Imaging or even Facebook) that might not do as well. Then when the resulting (inferior) AI decides a school bus is really an armored personnel carrier... What could possibly go wrong?
For a further example please refer to Apple maps.
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras
The employees aren't objecting to the project being done, only to Google doing it.
The employees are objecting to Google being a service to the defense of the country (at Google's profit).
These are not employees that ought to be listened to, and if they want to whine about it, then they ought to be sent out to find employment somewhere in the Gitmo.