Google told employees on Friday that it had ended its investigation into the expulsion of prominent AI researcher Timnit Gebru. The company declined to say what the internal investigation found, but said it is making some changes in the way it deals with issues related to research, diversity and employee terminations.
Why does it matter: The treatment of Gebru, before and after being forced out of the company, outraged people on the Google AI team and others inside and outside the company. The way Google handled the issue also raised questions about the company’s commitment to diversity and to employing ethics experts who are free to question the company’s actions.
Under its new policies, Google says it will:
- tie pay for those at the vice president level and above, in part to achieve the goals of diversity and inclusion.
- streamline your research publication process.
- increase the number of employees related to employee retention.
- enact new procedures on the exit of potentially sensitive employees.
“I understand that we could and should have handled this situation more sensitively,” said Jeff Dean, head of AI at Google, in a memo on Friday, obtained by Axios, describing the changes. “And for that, I’m sorry.”
I heard and recognized what Dr. Gebru’s departure meant for women technologists, for those in the black community and other underrepresented groups looking for careers in technology, and for many who care deeply about the responsible use of AI for Google. This has led some to question their place here, which I regret.
– Jeff Dean, Head of AI at Google, in an internal email on Friday
Gebru is a leading AI ethics researcher and one of a handful of prominent black women in the field, and Google has often promoted her work as a way to highlight her commitment to the AI ethics field. But the relationship went sour as his research became critical of the company’s work, leading to his forced departure.
Between the lines: None of these moves seems capable of containing ongoing frustration on this issue, especially within Google’s AI Ethics team, whose members say that continue to be surprised by the company’s movements.
- Earlier this week, Google appointed Marian Croak to head the ethical work of AI across the Google search organization. Croak is a longtime Google employee, a black woman and a prominent researcher, having done pioneering work in the field of Internet voice treatment; however, none of his work is directly related to ethical AI.
- His hiring was first reported on Wednesday night by Bloomberg News, before an announcement to the team the next day.
Meanwhile, one of Gebru’s colleagues, Margaret Mitchell, still has no access to his corporate email. Google said last month that it was investigating why Mitchell downloaded a large number of files and shared them with people outside the company.
- According to a source, Mitchell was using automated scripts to examine his messages and find examples that showed Gebru’s discriminatory treatment before his account was blocked.
- The company on Friday refused to offer an update on Mitchell’s situation, but for now she remains an employee of the company.
“Research leadership talked a lot about responsibility,” ethical AI researcher Alex Hanna said in a tweet On thursday. “But there is no zero responsibility for anything that has happened in the past three months. The research leader does not know the meaning of the word, which I am concerned about.”