Google found the billions in warfare hard to resist, to use AI for weapons now

I really hope you don’t really put much stock into company policies on potentially lucrative but controversial lines of business.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has lifted its ban on using AI for weapons and surveillance, revising its guidelines to support national security.

The original AI principles established in 2018 included a commitment to avoid applications likely to cause harm, which has now been abandoned in favour of collaboration with governments on security-related AI.

Our fellow Zimbabwean, James Manyika, a senior vice president at Google, who co-wrote the new guidelines says democracies should lead in AI development. They should do so with freedom, equality and human rights in mind, they say.

Here is a direct quote, “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.”

Experts express concerns about the military applications of AI, particularly regarding autonomous weapons systems, which have already been utilized in conflicts like the Ukraine war.

Be honest. Did you really think AI wouldn’t make it onto the battlefield? Did you really believe these companies that have spent billions of dollars on their AI would skip out on the big business that is war?

It is what it is. We all saw this coming. It shall be interesting to see how modern warfare looks with AI super soldiers deployed.