‘Speechless’: Google AI Researcher ‘Incredibly Ashamed’ by Company’s Deal with Pentagon

A research scientist at Google DeepMind has publicly expressed that he is “incredibly ashamed” over the company’s deal with the Pentagon allowing the Department of War to use its AI technology in classified settings.

Business Insider reports that Andreas Kirsch, who works as a senior research scientist at Google DeepMind, voiced strong criticism of the company’s latest Pentagon agreement in a post on X on Tuesday. “I’m speechless at Google signing a deal to use our AI models for classified tasks. Frankly, it is shameful,” he wrote.

The deal came despite significant internal opposition from Google employees. More than 600 workers had sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai urging him to block the Pentagon from using the company’s AI for classified operations.

Kirsch told Business Insider, “When I went to bed yesterday, I was hopeful that the employee letter would have an effect and give us pause to consider,” he said in a text message. “This morning I woke up to a worst-case version of the contract being signed by Google in the meantime.”

Kirsch expressed particular disappointment that Google moved forward without what he viewed as adequate deliberation. “It’s a shame that one of the biggest and brightest tech companies avoided having an honest discussion about this when regulations and laws haven’t had time to catch up yet, and is not willing to take a stand when it wouldn’t cost it much given the size of the contract vs its overall revenue and profits,” he told Business Insider.

The researcher also conveyed personal distress about his position at the company. “I personally feel incredibly ashamed right now to be Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind and I wonder how I’m supposed to do my work today,” he said.

A Google spokesperson told Business Insider that the classified work agreement represented an amendment to an existing contract. The company had previously signed a deal with the Pentagon in late 2024 for unclassified AI work.

The spokesperson outlined the scope of Google’s government support, stating: “We support government agencies across both classified and non-classified projects, applying our expertise to areas like logistics, cybersecurity, diplomatic translation, fleet maintenance, and the defense of critical infrastructure.” The spokesperson added: “We remain committed to the private and public sector consensus that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight.”

Google’s move reflects a broader trend in the technology industry toward closer collaboration with defense agencies. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI have all established Pentagon partnerships in recent years. Some companies, including Anduril and Palantir, have built their entire business models around defense contracts.

In his social media post, Kirsch drew a direct comparison between Google’s arrangement and a similar classified systems agreement between OpenAI and the Pentagon. “Honestly, after all the scrutiny OpenAI’s contract has received, I do not understand how we can sign an even weaker contract and not expect this to be seen as myopic and greedy dealings that lose trust,” he wrote.

The clash between conservatives and leftist Silicon Valley giants that have built empires on their anti-military attitudes and resistance to supporting our warfighters is one of the primary themes of the instant bestseller by Breitbart News Social Media Director Wynton Hall, Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI.

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, praised CODE RED as a “must-read.” She added: “Few understand our conservative fight against Big Tech as Hall does,” making him “uniquely qualified to examine how we can best utilize AI’s enormous potential, while ensuring it does not exploit kids, creators, and conservatives.” Award-winning investigative journalist and Public founder Michael Shellenberger calls CODE RED “illuminating,” ”alarming,” and describes the book as “an essential conversation-starter for those hoping to subvert Big Tech’s autocratic plans before it’s too late.”