Thread by @labortechgroup

As members of the Labor Tech Research Network, we share concerns about @timnitGebru's exit in December 2020 from @Google, where she researched the #ethics of artificial intelligence. (1) nature.com/articles/d4158… @nature @ASAnews

This has adverse implications for Black women working in #tech companies, which are already known for their lack of diversity. @ASA_SKAT @SSSP1org @datasociety @AINowInstitute @4sWeb (2)

The research of @timnitGebru and others has revealed the shortcomings of facial recognition for dark-skinned people, how #automation can both replicate and obfuscate #discrimination and how #algorithmic systems reproduce racial exclusion and environmental racism. (3)

AI-ethics scholars cannot do their jobs properly if such conclusions could result in dismissal. @gleemie @SareetaAmrute @iajunwa @megstalcup @isa_sociology @alondra @STSeasst (4)

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Dr. @timnitGebru, who was terminated from her position as Staff Research Scientist and Co-Lead of Ethical Artificial Intelligence (#AI) team at @Google, following unprecedented research #censorship. googlewalkout.medium.com/standing-with-… (5)

We call on @Google Research to strengthen its commitment to research integrity and to unequivocally commit to supporting research that honors the commitments made in Google’s #AI Principles. @GoogleAI (6)

To uphold the future of #AI ethics, tech companies should open the company to outside researchers and support underfunded tech-education programmes, including those at historically Black institutions @usedgov @USNewsEducation @HuffPostEdu (7)

Given the potential for bias to creep into AI systems (go.nature.com/3sxn), tech companies have a societal responsibility to retain critical voices. They should publicly affirm that all workers can pursue collective action, as is their right by law @DOLOIG @USDOL @WB_DOL (8)

And they should appoint independent ethics boards of seasoned researchers who can speak publicly on related issues and make formal recommendations to the governing board. @nytimes @washingtonpost @CNN @USATODAY @HuffPost (9)

All of us at the #LaborTech Research Network stand in solidarity with @timnitGebru. #LabortechinSolidarity (10)

2695 #Googlers and 4302 #academic, #industry, and civil society supporters (and counting) @Forbes @Reuters @AP @BBCWorld @TIME @TheEconomist @WSJ @POTUS @VP @AOC @ssrc_org @oiioxford @OpenAI #ISupportTimnit #BelieveBlackWomen (11)

#Google’s retaliation against @timnitGebru, & its move to silence this work concerns us all @ruha9 @random_walker @sherrirose @laurenleemack @RLukeDuBois @safiyanoble @EthanZ @BeEngelhardt @LaurenBWilcox @ruchowdh @MiaD @ekp @ProfessorIsIn @reshmasaujani @JeniT @katecrawford (12)

We demand that @JeffDean, (Google Senior Fellow & Senior VP of Research), Megan Kacholia (VP of Eng for @Google Brain), & those involved w/decision to censor @timnitGebru's paper meet w/the Ethical AI team to explain the process by which the paper was rejected by leadership (13)

We demand #transparency to the broader public, including @Google users and our colleagues in the academic community, about #Google leadership’s decision to order @timnitGebru & her colleagues to withdraw their research on large-scale language models (14)

This has become a matter of public concern, and there needs to be public accountability to ensure any trust in #Google Research going forward. @Google @googledevs @GoogleAI @sundarpichai (15)

We demand that #Google Research make an unequivocal commitment to research integrity and academic freedom, drastically strengthening the commitments made in @Google’s Research Philosophy, and commit to supporting research that furthers the goals of Google’s #AI Principles... (16)

...by providing clear guidelines on how research will be reviewed and how research #integrity will be respected. @TechCrunch @arstechnica @WIRED @TEDTalks @MKBHD @emilychangtv @davidcohen @karaswisher @CaseyNewton @charlesarthur @mims (17)