Several Google DeepMind employees have resigned or are in the process of leaving over the company's AI contracts with the US and Israeli militaries, the BBC has reported. The departures follow Google signing a deal with the Pentagon earlier this year that allows its AI models to be used for classified military work, including for what the contract describes as "any lawful governmental purpose."
Research engineer Sofia Liguori, who was based in London, left the company this week after three years. Speaking to the BBC in a personal capacity, she said she had lost faith in Google's stated ethical values over its growing military work. She also told the BBC that her employment contract restricts her from criticising the company in public effectively for life. AI researcher Andreas Kirsch resigned earlier in October, telling the BBC that Google's governance and oversight were "not sufficient or meaningful enough" to deploy AI safely in military and classified settings, and that the company appeared to have no right to control or veto how the Pentagon uses its technology.
In June, René Mayrhofer, then a director for Android platform security, also resigned over the contract, publishing a farewell letter in which he said leaving had become "unavoidable" and that Google management had "lost its moral compass."
Current employees told the BBC they fear retaliation and feel unable to speak openly about AI safety or the company's military direction. Google, for its part, told the BBC it follows a consistent process for reviewing public-sector contracts in line with its acceptable-use policies and AI principles, and that it has dedicated channels for staff to raise concerns with protections against retaliation.
Google is one of several major technology companies including OpenAI, Microsoft and Amazon that have signed agreements with the Pentagon this year to deploy AI in classified military environments, as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has made AI integration in the armed forces a stated priority.
Source BBC
