Google is going to compete with Microsoft and Amazon for working with the Pentagon to create a cloud infrastructure project for the department. Three years ago, the company refused such an offer from the US Defense Ministry after the protests of its employees, but now the IT giant intends to return to cooperation with the military, as sources told The New York Times on November 3.
"The Pentagon's relaunch of the cloud technology project gave Google a chance to return to the fight for the contract, and the company hastened to prepare a proposal to the ministry. In September, Google's cloud division made this a priority, declaring a "Yellow Code" of importance. This made it possible to withdraw engineers from other developments and attract them to work on a military project," the newspaper writes, citing four insiders.
Three years after employee protests forced Google to abandon work on a Pentagon program that used artificial intelligence, the company is again seeking a major contract to provide its technology to the military.
Google's plan to conclude a lucrative contract for a project known as "Cloud-based joint warfare Capabilities" may cause a wave of indignation among employees and test the willingness of management to resist them.
In 2018, thousands of employees signed a letter against participating in Project Maven, a military program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret video images and can be used to clarify the targets of drone strikes. Then Google's management gave in.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai even had to make a secret visit to the US Department of Defense after refusing to extend the contract for participation in the department's program.
The current request of the US military is aimed at upgrading the Pentagon's cloud technologies and using AI to gain advantages on the battlefield. The new project is an alternative to the contract with Microsoft, which was terminated this summer amid a lengthy legal battle with Amazon.
On Tuesday, the executive director of Google's cloud division, Thomas Kurian, met with Charles K. Brown Jr., chief of staff of the US Air Force, and other senior Pentagon officials to intercede for his company, insiders familiar with the situation added.
