Why I Left Google DeepMind

为什么我离开了 Google DeepMind

In January, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers killed at least two people. In both cases, a federal agent grasped his gun, aimed it at a peaceful citizen, and shot them dead. Renée Good, moments before DHS killed her. Alex Pretti, moments before DHS killed him. I learned that Google sells its Cloud services to the relevant agencies within DHS. I thought that was wrong. Federal agents should not be able to kill citizens in the street. 今年一月，美国国土安全部（DHS）的官员至少杀害了两人。在这两起案件中，联邦特工拔枪瞄准平民并将其射杀。Renée Good 在被国土安全部杀害前不久，Alex Pretti 在被杀害前不久。我了解到 Google 向国土安全部下属的相关机构出售云服务。我认为这是错误的。联邦特工不应该有权在街头杀害公民。

I set out to find the most effective way to push my company to stop serving these agencies. My divestment campaign quickly broadened into an attempt to prevent Google from signing an unethical military AI deal, as the Pentagon started pressuring AI providers into military AI deals with no restrictions against use for killer robots or mass surveillance. I wanted AI ethics commitments to hold under pressure. In particular, I wanted Google DeepMind (GDM) to maintain its existing commitment against supporting killer robots. 我开始寻找最有效的方法，推动我的公司停止为这些机构提供服务。我的撤资运动很快扩大为试图阻止 Google 签署不道德的军事 AI 合同，因为五角大楼开始向 AI 提供商施压，要求其签署没有任何限制（如禁止用于杀手机器人或大规模监控）的军事 AI 合同。我希望 AI 伦理承诺能够在压力下保持有效。特别是，我希望 Google DeepMind (GDM) 能坚持其现有的、不支持杀手机器人的承诺。

Over several months, I asked many people to act. I asked senior people—respected people—people with reputations silvered by their concern about AI ethics and safety. Nearly all declined. Take Stuart Russell, a famous AI researcher who spent over a decade crusading against autonomous weapons. I worked at his lab for years. At a conference, on-stage, he agreed to push his organization to make a statement supporting AI providers against government coercion and promised a poll of its members. The statement and poll both vanished. 在过去的几个月里，我请求许多人采取行动。我请求过资深人士——那些受人尊敬的、因关注 AI 伦理和安全而享有盛誉的人。几乎所有人都拒绝了。以 Stuart Russell 为例，他是一位著名的 AI 研究员，十多年来一直致力于反对自主武器。我在他的实验室工作过多年。在一次会议上，他在台上同意推动其组织发表声明，支持 AI 提供商抵制政府的胁迫，并承诺对其成员进行民意调查。但声明和调查最终都不了了之。

Or take Jeff Dean, who is Google’s Chief Scientist and the co-lead of Google’s Gemini AI project. In 2018, Jeff signed a pledge to never support the development or use of killer robots. I got Jeff to publicly and boldly co-sign an amicus brief (where outsiders weigh in to sway a lawsuit) backing Anthropic against the Pentagon. But I also asked him to use his immense leverage to stop Google from making its own unethical deal with the military, and I don’t think he did. He remains at Google despite his pledge. 再看 Jeff Dean，他是 Google 的首席科学家，也是 Google Gemini AI 项目的联合负责人。2018 年，Jeff 签署了一项承诺，绝不支持杀手机器人的开发或使用。我曾让 Jeff 公开且大胆地联署了一份法庭之友陈述书（外部人士借此影响诉讼），支持 Anthropic 对抗五角大楼。但我也曾请求他利用其巨大的影响力阻止 Google 与军方达成不道德的交易，但我认为他并没有这样做。尽管有此承诺，他依然留在 Google。

I wrote a 25-page proposal containing contract language and oversight mechanisms. Military- and surveillance-law experts praised the proposal, which represented a principled counteroffer Google could have stood by. I sent the proposal to Demis Hassabis (GDM’s CEO) who routed it to senior policy staff, only for the proposal to wilt unattended until Google signed a deal. Senior management had insisted that Google wouldn’t sign. I disagreed with them, but they largely ignored my warnings. 我撰写了一份 25 页的提案，其中包含了合同条款和监督机制。军事和监控法专家对该提案表示赞赏，认为这是一个 Google 本可以坚持的有原则的还价。我将提案发送给 Demis Hassabis（GDM 的 CEO），他将其转交给高级政策人员，但该提案最终无人问津，直到 Google 签署了合同。高层管理人员曾坚称 Google 不会签署。我不同意他们的看法，但他们基本上无视了我的警告。

While I may have increased the Pentagon’s hesitation around the deal, Google still signed a deal handing over their AI without restrictions against killer robots or mass AI spying. Google’s contract restrictions were even weaker than OpenAI’s. At that point, I couldn’t stay at Google in good conscience, so I left. This essay tells the story of why I left Google DeepMind. It is also the story of something larger: how powerful people and institutions failed, one after another, to keep their AI ethics promises in the face of pressure. 虽然我可能增加了五角大楼对该交易的犹豫，但 Google 最终还是签署了一份合同，在没有禁止杀手机器人或大规模 AI 间谍活动限制的情况下交出了他们的 AI 技术。Google 的合同限制甚至比 OpenAI 的还要弱。在那一刻，我无法问心无愧地留在 Google，所以我离开了。这篇文章讲述了我离开 Google DeepMind 的故事。它也讲述了一个更大的故事：当面对压力时，有权势的人和机构是如何一个接一个地违背了他们的 AI 伦理承诺的。