Google’s Endless Struggle to Burnish its Image against Allegations

Google holds a history of being alleged and accused on grounds of racism and sexism.

After the ouster of Timmit Gebru and his colleague Mitchell from Google, for mysterious reasons, Google has continued to face allegations on grounds of racism and discrimination against the minorities.

On the contrary, Google until 2020, flaunted its team of ethical AI research teams that consisted employees from underrepresented communities. In the 2020, after the mysterious departure of Gebru and Mitchell, controversies and allegations against Google begun to steam up, which to an extent, tainted its image because his departure was in alignment with the pre-existing allegations – racism, harassment and sexism. Google reasons his departure saying that the paper that he produced was critical of its own artificial intelligence technology.

Gebru and his co-worker have reported about a racist and sexist culture prevailing as they were often not included in meetings and conferences. Besides there are also reports of bullying inflicted on minorities and subordinates and the new comers. Google also was facing a qualm with its sister company Waymo on its development on an AI-driven gadget that can recognise people based on their skin tone.

The absence of Gebru and Mitchell has caused the ethics AI research team to suffer immensely as the team members also are demotivated to work and deliver results.

Few members from the research teams of AI and ethical AI have expressed their indignation at Jeff Dean who is said to have racial and sexist streaks in his demeanour.

Google, as a confrontation to all the allegations, assures that Gebru and Mitchell had quit the company on different grounds that remain to be a private affair. They have been into the process of interviewing people without any discrimination.

Researchers also seem to be unhappy with the role played by the legal department. Jeff Dean, in his memo, has penned down the invasions made by the lawyers because of the accessibility granted to them even to sensitive content. In order to counter this, Dean has suggested the team to raise issues only when they have a solution for it.

Google, currently, is said to be struggling with the departure of Gebru that also has harmed the Waymo research. The team members worked closely together under the leadership of Mitchell and Gebru. Although they are looking forward to authentic and honest use of AI, they continue to feel defeated by Google on a whole.