Google employees urge Pichai to reject classified military AI use

More than 600 Google employees signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding that the company block the Pentagon from using its AI models for classified purposes. Organizers say many signers work in Google's DeepMind AI lab and include more than 20 principals, directors, and vice presidents. The letter states that "The only way to guarantee that Google does not become associated with such harms is to reject any classified workloads. Otherwise, such uses may occur without our knowledge or the power to stop them." The letter references a recent report by The Information that said Google and the Pentagon are discussing a deal for deploying Gemini AI in classified settings. Microsoft already provides AI services in classified environments, and OpenAI announced a renegotiated agreement with the Pentagon in February. The employee action follows Anthropic's legal battle with the Pentagon over being designated a "supply chain risk" after refusing to loosen guardrails around how the US military can use its AI models. That case has drawn support from across the tech industry, including employees at Google.