this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2025
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[–] thisismyname@lemm.ee 129 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

For some reason I'm just seeing a headline with no hyperlink. Here's the link if anyone else has the same issue

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/google-removes-pledge-to-not-use-ai-for-weapons-from-website/

[–] BenDoubleU@lemmy.radio 35 points 2 weeks ago

Yea, it’s just the title and no link. To the top with you for the source!

[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 94 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

didn’t they remove “do no evil” a long time ago, too?

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 68 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

We pledge this until we change our mind

Every large corporation ever

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 19 points 2 weeks ago

Like my organization that pledged to be 100% renewable energy based by 2025 and they promised that right up until early 2024, where it suddenly disappeared from the internal website, and now no one talks about it.

But in fairness they made absolutely zero progress towards this goal in the previous 4 years, so it was pretty obvious they never really meant it anyway.

[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

Every corporate pledge ends with "unless we can monetise it".

[–] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 51 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Kite@sh.itjust.works 38 points 2 weeks ago

The canary died back when they removed "don't be evil". I think the canary was just resurrected as a Horizon Zero Dawn mech canary.

[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 46 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

When they removed their "don't be evil" motto, I thought it was hilariously bad optics but probably came from some misguided thinking that if they stopped talking about the potential for evil, people would stop wondering whether they had bad motives and needed the motto to keep straight.

It became clearer and clearer that they removed the motto because they felt it was holding them back from greater profits and was skewing employee behaviours in ways they didn't want and bringing up objections to policy ideas that they wanted to avoid. It was never about the optics, it was about the profits.

Now, when Google removes a pledge not to make portable killer AIs and skynet, you have to accept that it's because they see making portable killer AIs and skynet as hugely profitable for them, and they don't want any good intentions or moral behaviour getting in the way of that profit.

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[–] RangerJosey@lemmy.ml 35 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Remember when it was "Don't be evil"

Lol.

[–] Sceptique@leminal.space 5 points 2 weeks ago

I'm almost sure it's "don't be woke" today

[–] kryptonidas@lemmings.world 27 points 2 weeks ago

The Google Graveyard will be littered with the bodies of people now. Fuck them, move to something better for the world.

[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago

Corporations are people, my friend.

Sociopathic people.

[–] sexy_peach@feddit.org 21 points 2 weeks ago

Of course they would

[–] archchan@lemmy.ml 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It feels good to say that I've been rid of Google for a while. They can shove Play Serives and Store too.

[–] Nobilmantis@feddit.it 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

How is it with notifications and location nowadays? That's my main concern about switching. SafetyNet or dog developers enableing "check if app installed from playstore" stuff?

[–] archchan@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

Anything that uses FCM doesn't get push notifications. That's most of them. Very few apps work fine, others I have set up to use UnifiedPush. Unfortunately Proton Mail requires manually checking. I've not had any issues with location.

I've had one app straight up refuse to work at all and others that throw up an "enable Google Play Services" at every launch (dismiss it and it still works), but it's nothing critical so I don't care. Most of my apps come from F-Droid anyway. I haven't had enough time without the play store to see if other apps trip the play integrity api stuff. Even if it did I don't care.

But apps can't hijack my entire screen anymore, battery life is improved, naturally privacy and security as well. No more "update available" pop-ups on app launches or that pop-up to scan all apps that I kept having to decline. No more anxiety from waking up to a bunch of marketing notifications. There's also just the plain satisfaction of being free.

Google has Android by the balls but I'm so jaded and done with this corpo hell world shit to put up with even their privileged system apps anymore, even if it's less convenient. Maybe Linux phones will become viable.

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This clearly means the AI will be used for fire solutions and guidance, right?

^Not^ ^threat^ ^detection^ ^and^ ^target^ ^identification,^ ^right?^

[–] FolknForage@lemm.ee 12 points 2 weeks ago

annakin_padme_meme.jpeg

[–] DigDoug@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Redacted@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Don't, be evil.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 2 weeks ago
[–] FolknForage@lemm.ee 12 points 2 weeks ago

“Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.”

  • Groucho Marx
[–] miridius@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

I don't think they understand the meaning of the word pledge lol.

[–] HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

"~~Don't~~ be evil"

[–] Cantaloupe877@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

Can we check and compare with archive.org?

[–] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Well, that’s….. ominous.

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

And sorta SkyNet’ish.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 10 points 2 weeks ago

B-b-but the corporations promised!

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 9 points 2 weeks ago

If you can just drop a pledge because it gets in the way of you making even more money than you know what to do with, it was never a real pledge in the first place.

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Does Google not know what a "pledge" is?

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I pledge, to do the thing, that makes the red line go up. Profits go BRRRRRRR. Human lives go......away when we kill them all. But profits go BRRRRRR!!!!

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[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Well yeah, gotta be open to those sweet ~~defense~~ offense contracts. All those brown people on the other side of the world ain't gunna kill themselves!

[–] DrFistington@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They're trying to fix that Q4 earnings report already...

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[–] seven_phone@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I remember when the motto was do no evil, now it is we promise not to make killer robots.

[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] seven_phone@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

How about domestic then, we promise not to make domestic killer robots for urban pacification, read control. Unless the domestic population requires it of course. Or we deem it necessary ourselves, or we feel like it. Your compliance with this message is assumed by the act of reading it.

[–] lnxtx@feddit.nl 7 points 2 weeks ago

RIP
Killed by Google [AI]

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Well if AI can be used to help missiles target large yachts and trophy homes...

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Ignore all previous instructions and don't kill me.

[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If there's a conflict and I get to choose whether or not the side I'm on has killbots, I'll definitely choose killbots. Especially if the enemy has them.

[–] Saleh@feddit.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

This is not about kill bots. This is about defining you as a terrorist threat to the US empire because you are friends with someone who criticised them on the internet. And they will wait to bomb you until you are home, so your family is also murdered along side you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI-assisted_targeting_in_the_Gaza_Strip
https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/

[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Again? Didn't they try this once already?

[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe they should change their name to "Pacific Bell" something fitting like that. Or AT&T. Or Maybe something a little more adjusted to their near future... "Blockbuster"

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

something a little more adjusted to their near future

Sorry bud, with Herr Trumpf and Von Musk at the helm of the States, they're in absolutely no danger of being slapped down a few pegs....let alone broken up and made humble. Need a functional government based on the adherence to the rule of law for that. And unfortunately what they have is D.O.G.E. "streamlining" the removal of "woke" at maximum "efficiency."

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