Encomium for Google AI: But What about the Ethics Issue?

March 9, 2021

The comments attached to a 2020 essay “Paths to the Future: A Year at Google Brain” are effusive. I noticed that there was no reference to the personnel issues roiling Google. The word “ethics” does not appear in the write up. Several statements caught my attention. Here these are with my question or comment in italics.

“Brain was a magnet for Google’s celebrity employees.” Two tier system? Yep, the celebrities and the others. For the author, this celebrity thing is exciting. For the others, it may be the root of discontent among the non-celebrity employees. Remarkable revelation from a young employee with little work experience in the Google environment.
“Google is an “AI-first” company, with the company seeking to implement machine learning in nearly everything do.” Smart software is important. It seems obvious to me that anyone questioning the fairness of such smart software is not going to fit into the celebrity category. Thus, a researcher with data suggesting systemic bias is a no-go. Hasta la vista, Dr. Gibru. The message is get with the program or get gone.
“The culture of Google Brain reminded me of what I’ve read about Xerox PARC.” Yep, the Xerox. The famous PARC. Ethernet, the mouse, bouncy visualizations. Just zero common sense when commercialization was required. Mr. Jobs paid a visit. The wizard showed off. Mr. Jobs created a reasonably successful company; Xerox PARC. A legend, just no Apple like commercial success with the graphical interface and the zippy Alto.

These three statements appear in the introduction to the essay. They are important for several reasons:

First, Google’s class system is evident and one of the first things the young wizard noticed. The two tier structure enshrines the high school science club approach to managing the firm.

Second, AI is a big deal at Google. Anyone not getting in line is headed for the door.

Third, the PARC touchstone makes it clear that inventing the future and doing cool things is the real work of the celebrity engineers.

What’s this mean for the lesser folk at Google? Unionization, push back, insubordination, and scorn for rah rah essays that make the Googleplex and the GOOG into just the most special company.

Autographed pictures? Probably coming in the near future as Google works to generate non-ad revenue. And ethics? Sure, the celebrity engineers ponder that issue 24×7.

Stephen E Arnold, March 9, 2021

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Business strategy, Google, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.