Google Employees Say They Do Not Want to Fill the Gap Left by Anthropic

More than 600 Google employees, including researchers from the company's DeepMind lab, have signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding that Google refuse to allow its AI tools to be used by the Pentagon for classified work. The signees—which include principals, directors, and vice presidents—cited their proximity to AI development as creating a responsibility to prevent its most unethical uses. They explicitly referenced the same clauses that created issues for Anthropic, such as lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance, as primary objections. The employees argued that accepting classified workloads would allow such uses to occur without their knowledge or ability to stop them.

This internal revolt comes as Google has reportedly been exploring a deal with the Pentagon, similar to the one OpenAI entered into after the DoD's falling out with Anthropic. The Pentagon has demanded that AI partners allow the agency to use models for all lawful uses, including domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Google has not publicly acknowledged the letter, but the situation mirrors OpenAI, where workers also petitioned leadership not to do business with the military without restrictions. Both companies filed amicus briefs supporting Anthropic in its lawsuit against the government, yet now appear willing to profit from the same contracts Anthropic rejected.