Timnit Gabru
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Timnit Gabru, co-leader of Google’s Ethical Artificial Intelligence team, said late Wednesday night that he would be fired from a search giant over an email he sent to colleagues.
Gabru, a pioneer AI The researcher studies the risks of facial recognition bias and speaks on the lack of diversity in the tech industry. Since his departure, more than 1,400 Google workers, as well as more than 1,800 other industry professionals, have signed an open letter in support of Google.
“Instead of being accepted by Google as an exceptionally talented and well-known contributor, Dr. Gabru has faced protectionism, racism, gaslighting, research censorship and now retaliatory firing,” the letter said.
Inside Tweets series On Wednesday night, Gabru said she was terminated for a message she sent to the company’s internal email list, Google Brain Women and colleagues. After sending the email, Gabru said she received a letter from her manager stating that the message was “inconsistent with Google Manager’s expectations.”
I was fired Jeffdin For my email to Brain Women and Colleagues. My corp account has been cut off. So I was fired immediately 🙂
– Timnit Gabru (@ StemnitJabru) December 3, 2020
Gabru did not publicly share the contents of his initial email to the brain group. According to the platform, message posters have been criticized for being unaccountable for Google’s diversity, equity and content operations via email. “So if you want to change things, I suggest focusing on leadership responsibilities and thinking through what kind of pressure can also be applied from the outside.”
In the email, Gabru said she was working on a research paper with colleagues when she was suddenly asked to withdraw it without making any disclosures. Gabru said on Twitter that he emailed the research paper to his manager, apparently giving the company a list of demands. That He said he did not resign., But her manager emailed Gabru’s direct reports, saying she “accepted my resignation.” After that, Gabru said his corporate email account had been shut down.
In an email to employees first published by Platform on Thursday, A.I. Jeff Dean’s Google chief said one of Gabru’s requests was to let everyone know that Dean and Gabru’s manager consulted as part of the paper review process. He also urged employees to continue working with Google’s diversity programs. “I also feel bad that you received hundreds of emails this week from Timnit asking you to stop working on DII’s critical programs,” Dane wrote. “Please don’t.”
Gibru did not respond to a request for comment. Google declined to comment further from Dean’s email.
On Wednesday, Gabru said she would be fired, a former Google employee began tweeting “I support imtimnitGebru.”
The incident with Gabru comes as Google has already been sharply criticized for handling its labor issues. On the same day as Gabru’s tweets, Google was accused by the U.S. labor union of retaliating against workers protesting against the search giant. In a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency said Google had targeted U.S. workers through surveys, interrogations and firing of activists. Labor laws are broken.
Over the past few years, Google has suffered as a result of its workers’ revolt. Rank-and-file employees report the company’s work in China, U.S. It has spoken out against its agreements with the military and allegations of sexual misconduct by senior officials against Google.
Gabru’s exit was also hit by critics already concerned about Google’s work in Ethical AI. When Google assembled the AI Ethics Board last year, the company came under fire last year for those chosen to include the panel. A member of the Heritage Foundation or Cole James was accused of being anti-immigrant and homophobic. It was disbanded just a week after the board was announced.
