Google has decided not to extend its contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD) next year, according to reports.
The company sources said that it will stop continuing the artificial intelligence (AI) work for the Pentagon.
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Known as Project Maven, the contract uses AI to interpret video images, in addition to enhancing the targeting of drone strikes, reported The Business Times.
The Washington Post reported that the project, launched in April last year, has been designed to continue for 18 months and will expire in March next year.
Under the project, Google has worked to build machine learning algorithms in order to enable the US Pentagon to improve its surveillance efforts generally.
Several AI researchers from the company are said to believe that Project Maven has been designed as a first step to use the technology in developing advanced lethal weapons.
As a protest against Google’s contract with the US Pentagon, many employees resigned from their job, while 4,000 employees signed a petition against the firm for helping the US military in developing technological tools that might help warfighting.
According to CNN, the petition demanded a policy that would ensure the company, as well as its contractors, will no longer be involved in developing warfare technologies.
Gizmodo said the initial contract between Google and Pentagon was valued between $9m and $15m.
