Two researchers’ departures have intensified scrutiny of Google’s participation in U.S. military agreements for classified-network AI and the oversight the company says it applies to public-sector work.
A May 1 announcement from the U.S. Department of War (DoW) named Google among eight companies covered by agreements concerning AI use on classified networks. The department described the intended work as supporting lawful operations.
Google DeepMind research engineer Sofia Liguori said Oct. 20 was her last day at the company, after three years there. She wrote that she had been on leave since Google signed its Pentagon agreement and said she no longer believed its technology would have a net positive effect on society.
AI researcher Andreas Kirsch resigned earlier in October, the BBC reported. The broadcaster also reported that other staff had left or were preparing to leave but did not give a total. Kirsch told the BBC that Google’s governance and oversight were not meaningful or sufficient for safe, responsible AI deployment in military and classified settings.
The Information reported that Google’s agreement permits AI use for any lawful government purpose. The BBC reported that the agreement imposes limits on domestic mass surveillance and autonomous-weapon uses, including target selection, requiring appropriate human oversight and control.
Google told the BBC it reviews public-sector contracts against its acceptable-use policies and AI principles, and gives employees channels to raise concerns. The principles call for human oversight, testing and safeguards, and alignment with international law and human rights. Google’s 2025 update also cited global competition in AI and called for government and company cooperation on national-security AI.
Google Cloud said May 28, 2025, that its Distributed Cloud and air-gapped appliance were authorized for Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level 6 workloads. It said customers could use Gemini at the Impact Level 6 and Top Secret tiers.
Google’s earlier military AI dispute centered on Project Maven, which involved AI analysis of drone footage. In 2018, the company said it would not pursue follow-on work for the project. EconoTimes previously covered former Google DeepMind researcher Alex Turner’s objections after the Pentagon agreement.
