Google restructured its responsible AI teams after Timnit Gebru’s resignation, generating even more anger at the researcher and her supporters.
Ethical AI teams will now be overseen by Marian Croak, a black Google executive who is credited with inventing the Voice over Internet Protocol.
Google announced its appointment in a blog post:
Now, she is taking on a new project: ensuring that Google develops artificial intelligence responsibly and has a positive impact. To do this, Marian created and will lead a new responsible AI expertise center within Google Research.
Sources told Bloomberg that Croak will report to Google’s AI leader, Jeff Dean, whose involvement in Gebru’s departure has been criticized by members of his team.
He left after a dispute over a research article of his own. Dean insisted that Gebru had resigned, but for all intents and purposes, she was fired.
The reorganization of Google’s AI teams aims to contain the consequences caused by his dismissal – but it has already sparked more outrage.
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Gebru tweeted that Google was “trying to neutralize one black woman with another ”while“ harassing, terrorizing and attacking my team ”.
I will have much more to say about this later. But announcing a new org for a black woman as if we were all interchangeable while harassing, terrorizing and enlightening my team and doing absolutely ZERO to recognize and repair the damage that has been done is beyond illusion. https://t.co/cMtHqCte4e
– Timnit Gebru (@timnitGebru) February 18, 2021
Technology workers, diversity groups, and former colleagues also criticized the change.
Among Gebru’s supporters is the ex diversity recruiter Abril Christina Curley, who it says she was fired from the company because “they were tired of hearing me complain about their racist shit”.
Abil tweeted that Google “wants nothing more than to physically knock us down and exhaust us to the point of breaking”
Margaret Mitchell, who founded Google’s Ethical AI team – and currently does not have access to her corporate account for downloading material related to Gebru – said she discovered the reorganization through the Bloomberg report.
… And this is how I find out. I am very happy for all the confidence they have rebuilt. It seems that I was completely erased and my team was taken away.https: //t.co/1BTGOo5Wry
– MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) February 18, 2021
Google can expect the restructuring to subdue internal dissent, but it only ignited the outrage of Gebru supporters.
Published on February 18, 2021 – 21:43 UTC