According to reports by the BBC on October 21, Google is facing strong opposition from some of its employees due to the use of artificial intelligence technology for military purposes.
The BBC interviewed several technology professionals. Some of them resigned from Google DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google, due to concerns about Google’s military contracts. Others are in the process of completing their resignations.
Sophia Liguori, a research engineer based in London, is one of them. She resigned from Google DeepMind this week and, ignoring contractual restrictions, shared her concerns with the BBC.
"I realize my company is increasingly vigorously pushing AI systems into military operations, and I feel ashamed to be working for Google in this way," said Li Guili, as an individual.
Regarding this, a Google spokesperson told the BBC: "We work with global public sector organizations and follow consistent processes for reviewing and signing these contracts, including compliance with our Acceptable Use Policy and AI Principles. We also have dedicated channels where employees can safely raise any concerns, and we have strict workplace policies to prevent any form of retaliation."
Google was one of several tech companies that signed contracts with the U.S. military earlier this year to deploy AI in confidential military environments. U.S. Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has made integrating AI into the armed forces a key priority, stating that the Trump administration will create a "AI-first combat force."
However, AI technology is developing rapidly. Critics question whether it is sufficiently reliable, and whether it can be used in warfare without more testing, stronger safeguards, and human oversight.
After working for the company for three years, Liguori said she decided to quit because Google was increasingly cooperating with the military in the United States and Israel. "I don’t agree with this direction, and this made me lose confidence in whether the company is loyal to its declared moral values," she said.
According to Google’s AI principles, these values include implementing AI under human supervision and ensuring that technology complies with ‘international laws and human rights’. However, former and current employees of the company interviewed by the BBC, as well as experts, expressed concerns about the level of human supervision at critical moments.
These tech professionals say they are particularly worried about the AI military agreements signed this year, as these agreements significantly expand the scope of the technology used by the Pentagon.
AI Researcher Andreea Kielshe also resigned from Google DeepMind earlier this month due to similar concerns.
Kilsh told the BBC that he believes “Google's governance and supervision are insufficient, and lack substance. It is unable to deploy AI safely and responsibly in military and confidential environments,” and also cannot “develop artificial superintelligence safely in the future.”
He added, “It seems that Google has no right to control or veto how the Pentagon uses its AI, and their understanding of how it is deployed seems to be very limited.”
Google signed a contract with the Pentagon earlier this year, allowing its AI technology to be used for confidential military purposes. The agreement states that Google’s AI models can be used for “any legitimate government purpose,” and they must not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without appropriate human supervision and control.
OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, NVIDIA, and the startup company Reflection have also signed similar contracts, allowing AI technology to be deployed in a variety of military scenarios such as transportation, planning, and battlefield operations.
"In principle, I am not allowed to criticize Google during my lifetime," Sophia Lock told BBC. However, she decided to do so "because I think it's important that these things come out and because I don't think discussing facts is criticizing."
Liguri added that at Google, “people fear retaliation and fear putting their careers at risk. You feel like you’re being monitored and unable to voice your opinions.”
