Officials demand for Google’s AI ethics team to ‘rebuild trust’

Google’s Ethical AI team sent Google officials a list of demands to “rebuild trust” after the removal of its co-head and noted researcher Timit Gabru.

Google’s Ethical AI team, which advises on research, product and policy, wrote a six-page letter to the company’s executive CEO Sundar Pichai, AI chief Jeff Dean, and an engineering vice president, Megan Kacholia. The letter, titled “The Future of Ethical AI at Google Research” and viewed by CNBC, lists the demands of the authorities, including removing Kacholia from the group’s reporting structure, avoiding retaliation, and restoring Gabru to a higher level Is included.

“In the past two weeks, we’ve heard that Google leadership has stated that it is committed to continuing the important work of diversity, equity and inclusion within Research PA and supporting the Ethical AI team,” the letter states . “But we must remember that words that are not associated with action are virtuous signs; they are harmful, defiant, defensive, and the leadership’s inability to understand how our organization is part of the problem. “

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the letter.

Employee correspondence, a noted artificial intelligence researcher and technical co-lead of Google’s Ethical AI team, represents mistrust in leadership two weeks after Gabru, Tweeted That google Fired him There is disagreement about a research paper Scrutinized bias In artificial intelligence. Gabru, who was vocal about the company’s treatment of black employees, claimed that the treatment was a sign of a broader pattern at Google and turned down industry-wide support, including a Petition Signed by thousands of Google employees and industry peers.

Last week, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai Emailed Amidst Gabru’s departure, with employees apologizing for mistrust in the company and the industry, he will begin a “review” of what went wrong while pledging the company.

Earlier on Wednesday, several Democratic congress members were sent, including censors Elizabeth Warren and Corey Booker A letter Pichai sought details of his “review” of Gabaru’s firing, as well as Google’s efforts to reduce discriminatory bias in large-scale language models, which Jeff Dean Initially stated There was a reason for Gabru’s team to reject the paper. The congressional letter reads, “The universe of elite AI researchers is limited in size and Google’s policies regarding employee publishing have the potential to adequately shape academic and public discourse on AI.”

“Google’s short-sighted decision to fire and retaliate against a key member of the Ethical AI team makes it clear that if this work is to continue, and the legitimacy of the region overall We need fast and structural changes to maintain, ”reads the letter from Google’s AI Ethics team.

The staff letter continues, to remove Kacholia, who the team reported to Gabru’s removal without notifying the direct manager. “We have lost faith in Megan Kacholia and we ask her to be removed from our reporting chain,” the letter stated. “Sammy Bengio, former manager of Timneet, should report directly to Jeff Dean.”

The group asked Jeff Dean and Kacholia to apologize to Gabaru and “hold him accountable”, with his firing causing damage to Gabaru and the black community on Google. “We see Megan being removed from our management chain as mandatory.”

It also asks for details of the firing of Gabaru. The letter stated that without understanding the process and the degree to which each leader was involved, it is impossible to proceed with the structural changes necessary to not allow such harmful behavior to occur again.

It also asks that employees who have defended Gabaru should not be punished with “retaliation”.

“We know from Google’s past retaliation that they often harm employees and expel them randomly.” “Instead, the company rates them poorly in future performance review cycles, shifting their daily workload to something less desirable and imposing other direct and indirect limitations on career growth.”

“For explicit commitments that specifically allow discussion of the pitfalls of technologies, including potentially in the context of Google interests, products, and research areas,” the letter states , Requests a deadline for the end of Q1 2021.

The staff also asked Gaburu to be reinstated to a higher level.

“The removal of Timneet has completely impacted our team,” the letter said. “Her (Gabru) and Meg Mitchell cultivated a diverse, productive team that thrived in a mentally safe environment. The offer to bring Timneet back to a higher level restored confidence and reestablished our team’s environment Went a long way to help do that. “

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