Google is working with the Pentagon to equip military drones with people-tracking AI in secretive ‘Project Maven’ deal, report claims
Google is working with the Department of Defense on secretive ‘Project Maven’
Project Maven is tasked with equipping drones with artificial intelligence.
This would allow unmanned vehicles to detect and identify objects in war zones
Some Google employees are ‘outraged’ that the firm is working with the military to develop surveillance technologies, others say it raises ethical questions
By ANNIE PALMER
DAILYMAIL.COM
6 March 2018
The Pentagon may have gained a new, high-profile partner for its sophisticated AI system used to hunt for militants in Iraq and Syria.
Silicon Valley giant Google is working with the Department of Defense to develop advanced artificial intelligence for analyzing drone footage, Gizmodo reported, citing sources close to the situation.
The partnership centers around Project Maven, which is the codename for a system that analyzes aerial surveillance video to look for patterns that can military intelligence analysts.
And it seems some Google employees aren’t happy with the move.
Many Google staffers were ‘outraged’ that the company would work alongside the government to develop drone surveillance technology, while others argued that it could raise ethical questions about the use of machine learning technology, Gizmodo said.
The pilot project has not been made public, but Google has detailed the effort among employees via internal communications
Google has reiterated to its staff that Project Maven doesn’t involve using AI for combat efforts.
Unveiled last April, Project Maven was tasked with developing artificial intelligence that can ingest large amounts of aerial drone video and look for patterns in the footage, flagging certain people, objects and other activity.
The project was created after thousands of military and civilian intelligence analysts said they were ‘overwhelmed’ by the amount of video being recorded over the battlefield by drones with high resolution cameras.
It aimed to provide the military with advanced computer vision, enabling the detection and identification of objects in up to 38 categories that are captured by the drone’s full-motion camera, according to Gizmodo.
In short, it gives the Pentagon the ability to track certain individuals’ whereabouts as they come and go.
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