Ethical Employee Activism Comes of Age
When Google agreed to help the Pentagon with AI for defense purposes, the employees at Google threw a fit. They didn't want their company to be remotely connected with war.
4000 employees signed a petition that they didn't want Google to go ahead with Project Maven, a program by Pentagon which focused on the targeting systems of the military's armed drones. Google is supposed to contribute artificial intelligence technology to the program. Essentially Google is required to develop machine-learning algorithms to help military drones. The machine learning technology would quickly analyze images captured on the battlefield, such as from aerial drones.
Many employees have also resigned. In the petition, the employees said, "We cannot outsource the moral responsibility of our technologies to third parties," The employees felt that this puts Google reputation at risk and was in direct opposition to the core values of the company. A resigning Google employee told Gizmodo, “At some point, I could not in good faith recommend joining Google, knowing what I knew. I realized if I can’t recommend people join here, then why am I still here?”
Letter to Sundar Pichai
Dear Sundar,
We believe that Google should not be in the business of war. Therefore we ask that Project Maven be and that Google draft, publicize and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology.
Google is implementing Project Maven, a customized AI surveillance engine that uses “Wide Area Motion Imagery” data captured by US Government drones to detect vehicles and other objects, track their motions, and provide results to the Department of Defense.
Recently, Googlers voiced concerns about Maven internally. Diane Greene responded, assuring them that the technology will not “operate or fly drones” and “will not be used to launch weapons.” While this eliminates a narrow set of direct applications, the technology is being built for the military, and once it’s delivered it could easily be used to assist in these tasks.
This plan will irreparably damage Google’s brand and its ability to compete for talent. Amid growing fears of biased and weaponized AI, Google is already struggling to keep the public’s trust. By entering into this contract, Google will join the ranks of companies like Palantir, Raytheon, and General Dynamics. The argument that other firms, like Microsoft and Amazon, are also participating doesn’t make this any less risky for Google. Google’s unique history, its mottoDon’t Be Evil, and its direct reach into the lives of billions of users set it apart.
We cannot outsource the moral responsibility of our technologies to third parties. Google’s stated values make this clear: Every one of our users is trusting us. Never jeopardize that. Ever. This contract puts Google’s reputation at risk and stands in direct opposition to our core values. Building this technology to assist the US Government in military surveillance – and potentially lethal outcomes – is not acceptable.
Recognizing Google’s moral and ethical responsibility, and the threat to Google’s reputation, we request that you:
1. Cancel this project immediately
2. Draft, publicize, and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Google nor
its contractors will ever build warfare technology
Microsoft rejects ICE
In an open letter to the Microsoft internal message board more than a 100 employees objected to Microsoft working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement which has been separating parents from children at the Mexico border.
This has been a burning public issue for the last week with public anger and rejection reaching a crescendo that has finally put enough pressure on President Trump to recall his previous instructions to separate parents and children.
The objection from the employees said:
“We believe that Microsoft must take an ethical stand, and put children and families above profits,” said the letter, which was addressed to the chief executive, Satya Nadella. The letter pointed to a $19.4 million contract that Microsoft has with ICE for processing data and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Amazon Prime Day
Recently in a run up to Amazon Prime Day there was a clash between Ramadhan and the Prime day when Amazon expects a big blip in sales. However taking the religious considerations of its employees into consideration they announced a relaxation of their policy.
One of the workers Abdirahman Ali said “We don’t want to pick between our wages and our faith”. But Amazon has been quick to respond.
Amazon issued a statement saying "We offer a positive, safe and accommodating workplace for employees, including providing a great pay of $15 per hour and comprehensive benefits. We respect the religious practices of employees and offer accommodations as needed."
What does Employee Activism mean for CEOs?
Employees joining hands together to put pressure on the company on ethical issues is a new trend. It is a genuine and peaceful protest unlike the stands taken up by employee unions in the old days of socialism.
The reason perhaps why employees are taking ethical stands is because there is a more aware population that has a clear conscience about what is right and what is wrong. And they would like to all work for a company that is doing the right thing by society.
Employee Activism required careful attention from CEOs. Business leaders will need to address employee activism actively in the future.
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