More than 800 Google employees and contractors signed a petition urging the company to disclose and cancel any contracts with U.S. immigration authorities, according to a statement released this week. The workers expressed vehement opposition to Google's dealings with the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Meanwhile, the company is also exploring advanced AI applications, including using its Genie world-building AI model to simulate extreme scenarios for autonomous vehicles.
The petition, published on Friday, stated, "We consider it our leadership's ethical and policy-bound responsibility to disclose all contracts and collaboration with CBP and ICE, and to divest from these partnerships." Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. immigration authorities have been under intense public scrutiny.
In other news, the Alphabet-owned company Waymo is using Google's Genie world-building AI model to generate a variety of simulated edge cases for its autonomous vehicles, according to The Verge. One scenario being tested involves a driverless vehicle encountering a tornado.
Elsewhere in the tech world, the AI company Anthropic is grappling with a paradox, according to Wired. While the company is deeply focused on AI safety and researching potential risks, it is also aggressively pursuing the next level of artificial intelligence. Last month, Anthropic released two documents acknowledging the risks and hinting at a possible solution to this contradiction.
In the realm of space exploration, NASA continues to face challenges with hydrogen leaks on the Space Launch System (SLS), as reported by Ars Technica. The problem caused delays before the first SLS launch in 2022 and resurfaced during a recent fueling test. NASA will conduct another fueling test in the coming weeks, but the launch of the Artemis II mission is delayed until March.
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