Google, OpenAI Staff Stand With Anthropic, Demand 'Red Lines' In Pentagon AI Contracts: 'We Will Not Be Divided'

Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) and OpenAI employees are raising their voices against the company’s plans to collaborate with the Pentagon on artificial intelligence technology.

Over 100 Google staff members penned a letter to management expressing their concerns. They called for the establishment of clear boundaries or “red lines” in government contracts, akin to those pursued by Anthropic, reported the New York Times on Thursday.

The employees took issue with the possible use of Google’s Gemini A.I. product by the U.S. military for surveillance of American citizens and autonomous weapons operation without human intervention. The letter was addressed to Jeff Dean, the head scientist of Google’s A.I. division, Google DeepMind.

Dean has shown support for Anthropic, opposing the government’s use of A.I. for American surveillance.

Simultaneously, in another open letter titled “We Will Not Be Divided”, several OpenAI and Google employees criticized the Pentagon’s negotiating strategies. They called on leaders to resist the Department of War’s current demands.

Anthropic’s AI Ethics Clash With Pentagon

This protest comes in the wake of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei‘s refusal to comply with the Pentagon’s request for unrestricted AI use. Amodei said that the AI startup “cannot in good conscience accede” to the new Department of War contract language. The updated terms did not sufficiently block the model’s potential use for mass surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous weapons.

However, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell took to X and said the military “has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal)” nor for developing weapons operating without human involvement.

Earlier this month, several full-time employees at Google signed an open letter urging the company to cut ties with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), citing a lack of transparency from leadership, including CEO Sundar Pichai.

The employees also demanded greater disclosure, worker safety protections, and an all-hands meeting to address employee concerns.

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