Why I Left Google DeepMind

Summary

Preface for LessWrong: When I think back on my most cherished memories of this community, I return to those honoring defiance in pursuit of goodness: Defying prestigious dogma and searching for raw truth; Defying social pressure, acting alone to help someone while others watch; Defying your self-expectations (your “role”), instead searching over lines of cause-and-effect to find a winning pathway; Defying a powerful foe’s threats, because they only threaten since people like you cave; Defying the specter of apparent impossibility because you can’t bear to lose. I cannot return to you and say “I defied and then I won.” But I’m at least here to say “I defied.” I recommend reading this article on my website since the embeds and typography work better there: click here. Why I left Google DeepMind In January, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers killed at least two people. In both cases, a federal agent grasped his gun, aimed it at a peaceful citizen, and shot them dead. Left: Renée Good, moments before DHS killed her. Right: Alex Pretti, moments before DHS killed him. I learned that Google sells its Cloud services to the relevant agencies within DHS. I thought that was wrong. Federal agents should not be able to kill citizens in the street. I set out to find the most effective way to push my company to stop serving these agencies. My divestment campaign quickly broadened into an attempt to prevent Google from signing an unethical military AI deal, as the Pentagon started pressuring AI providers into military AI deals with no restrictions against use for killer robots or mass surveillance.[1] I wanted AI ethics commitments to hold under pressure. In particular, I wanted Google DeepMind (GDM) to maintain its existing commitment against supporting killer robots. Over several months, I asked many people to act. I asked senior people—respected people—people with reputations silvered by their concern about AI ethics and safety. Nearly all declined. Take Stuart Russell, a famous AI researcher who spent over a decade crusading against autonomous weapons. I worked at his lab for years. At a conference, on-stage, he agreed to push his organization to make a statement supporting AI providers against government coercion and promised a poll of its members. The statement and poll both vanished. Or take Jeff Dean, who is Google’s Chief Scientist and the co-lead of Google’s Gemini AI project. In 2018, Jeff signed a pledge to never support the development or use of killer robots. I got Jeff to publicly and boldly co-sign an amicus brief (where outsiders weigh in to sway a lawsuit) backing Anthropic against the Pentagon. But I also asked him to use his immense leverage to stop Google from making its own unethical deal with the military, and I don’t think he did. He remains at Google despite his pledge. I wrote a 25-page proposal containing contract language and oversight mechanisms. Military- and surveillance-law experts praised the proposal, which represented a principled counteroffer Google could have stood by. I sent the proposal to Demis Hassabis (GDM’s CEO) who routed it to senior policy staff, only for the proposal to wilt unattended until Google signed a deal. Senior management had insisted that Google wouldn’t sign. I disagreed with them, but they largely ignored my warnings. While I may have increased the Pentagon’s hesitation around the deal, Google still signed a deal handing over their AI without restrictions against killer robots or mass AI spying. Google’s contract restrictions were even weaker than OpenAI’s. At that point, I couldn’t stay at Google in good conscience, so I left. This essay tells the story of why I left Google DeepMind. It is also the story of something larger: how powerful people and institutions failed, one after another, to keep their AI ethics promises in the face of pressure. On private communications: Throughout this essay, I never quote anyone’s private words without permission. Where private conversations matter, I characterize them minimally. I otherwise keep to my own actions, public information, and official communications. You can’t verify my characterizations, so weight them accordingly. This minimization has cut content which would have supported my arguments. Google supports the immigration enforcement supply chain January 26th, 2026 Alex Pretti, 2024. After Alex Pretti’s death, I was determined to take effective action. To determine how to reduce harm from DHS, I researched Big Tech’s entanglement. Certainly, Microsoft and Amazon have larger involvement, but I was surprised to learn of Google’s contracts with DHS: The DHS 2025 AI Use Case Inventory lists Google among the GenAI providers used to “improve the operational efficiency” of DHS. Google sells Cloud services to ICE through third parties like ITC Federal.[2] On October 3rd, 2025, Google delisted apps that warned of ICE activity. Google voluntarily handed a student protester’s account to ICE without notice