Google promised never to build AI weapons; then director René Mayrhofer resigned when the tech giant broke that promise

René Mayrhofer, a senior Android security official, has quit Google after the tech giant signed a contract giving the US Department of Defense access to its artificial intelligence systems for classified military work.

A senior Google director has resigned in protest over the company’s decision to supply artificial intelligence technology to the US military, saying the move made his departure “unavoidable” and that leadership had abandoned the ethical principles that once defined the company.