Google’s Ethical AI Turmoil Began Long Before Public Unraveling

For more than three years, Google held up its Ethical AI research team as a shining example of a concerted effort to address thorny issues raised by its innovations. Created in 2017, the group assembled researchers from underrepresented communities and varied areas of expertise to examine the moral implications of futuristic technology and illuminate Silicon Valley’s blind spots. It was led by a pair of star scientists, who burnished Google’s reputation as a hub for a burgeoning field of study.

In December 2020, the division’s leadership began to collapse after the contentious exit of prominent Black researcher Timnit Gebru over ...