The council lasted barely more than a week, after thousands of Google employees signed a petition calling for the removal of one member.
The original plan: The Advanced Technology External Advisory Council was set up to “guide responsible development of AI” projects within Google. It had eight members, including technologists, philosophers, and economists, and was meant to hold four meetings a year, starting this month. One of those members, Alessandro Acquisti, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, had already announced that he would not be taking up the role. Google says it’s cancelling the whole panel and starting again from scratch, Vox reports.
The trouble: Concerns centered on the inclusion of Heritage Foundation president Kay Coles James on the panel. Her think tank is skeptical about climate change, and she has personally argued against the protection of LGBTQ rights. Another panel member, drone company CEO Dyan Gibbens, was also controversial given her company provides technology to the military— a sensitive subject within Google.
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