Google Ousts Ethical AI Co-Lead Margaret Mitchell After Internal Investigation
Google terminates top AI ethics researcher Margaret Mitchell following a review that found violations of security policies and the company's code of conduct. Mitchell states her dismissal stems from her efforts to expose race and gender inequity and challenge the ouster of her co-lead, Timnit Gebru.
Google fires Margaret Mitchell, the founder and former co-lead of the company's ethical AI team. The tech giant confirms the termination after a review finds multiple violations of its code of conduct and security policies, which include the exfiltration of confidential business-sensitive documents and private data of other employees.
Mitchell expresses devastation over her firing and links the dismissal directly to her efforts to raise concerns about race and gender inequity at Google. She specifically points to her outspoken criticism regarding the deeply problematic departure of her co-lead, AI ethicist Dr. Timnit Gebru, which occurs just months earlier.
Prior to losing her corporate access in January for reportedly using automated scripts to find examples of Gebru's mistreatment, Mitchell publishes an email condemning the situation. She argues that Gebru's departure stems from a lack of foresight in modern technology and appears fueled by the same racism and sexism that problematic AI systems tend to absorb.