AI

Double trouble

In the coming years, Google plans to double its AI ethics research staff to 200 members and boost the group’s operating budget.  

Marian Croak, the AI ethics division’s current lead, made the announcement Tuesday at the WSJ’s Future of Everything event. Google declined to provide us with more details on the plan’s timeline or funding.

Recap: The news comes after five months of internal turmoil, sparked by Google firing both co-leaders of its AI ethics division: first Timnit Gebru, then Margaret Mitchell. The group’s subsequent restructuring led to Croak’s appointment as leader. 

• Croak’s past proximity to surveillance technology has led to criticism—and she reports directly to Jeff Dean, head of Google AI, whose decisions kicked off the string of events in the first place. 

Pulse check

The news that Google plans to double its ethics team got a lot of “...” reactions on Twitter, with one member of the division saying it was news even to her. 

“My reaction was: What on earth are they doing?” Meredith Whittaker, cofounder of the AI Now Institute and one of the organizers of the 2018 Google Walkouts, told us, pointing out that Google is “promising to double the number of staff of a group that [it] just very publicly decimated.” 

To that end: An influx of hiring without overhauling Google’s approach to AI ethics could lead to ethics-washing. “They want to look ethical without actually changing their business practices,” Whittaker said. 

Tuesday’s news also led to concern among Google’s own AI ethics team. "Google executives have demonstrated that they value control and loyalty over making substantive contributions to the ethics of AI, and that they will block or outright fire those they deem threatening,” Dylan Baker, one software engineer working on ethical AI at Google, told us. 

• “Adding additional headcount under these conditions is nothing but posturing. As long as these motivations and behaviors remain unaddressed, there is no way for Google to retain its research credibility, especially in ethical AI," Baker said. 

When asked whether it was prioritizing appearances over changing business practices, a Google representative pointed to part of an earlier statement: “This work is incredibly important—we've recently pulled together 10 teams from across Google focused on responsible AI and related research under Marian Croak to strengthen and continue expanding this work.” 

Looking ahead

Whittaker says she hopes to see more whistleblower protections, tech worker action, and collective organizing by AI ethics researchers and the communities most at risk of experiencing AI’s downstream harms. 

Meaningful change could also come from more questions, and boundaries, in the research space. “We need to look under the hood and ask who’s funding this, what are the recommendations being made, [and] is this using the term ‘ethics’ as a buzzword without offering a meaningful check on the power of these specific companies,” Whittaker said.  

Click here to read the full version of this story. —HF 

CRYPTO

Wallets as a Service

Microsoft will soon pull the plug on Azure Blockchain Service. Facebook is again changing course with the rollout plans for the Diem (née Libra) digital currency project. 

Big Tech’s ambivalence with cryptocurrency is startups’ opportunity. For example, Blockset announced a white-label cryptocurrency wallet product yesterday. Blockset is the B2B arm of BRD, an open-source, consumer-facing digital wallet company based in Zurich. All told, the company “protects” $20+ billion in assets, per CMO Spencer Chen. 

• Switzerland cryptocurrency projects. The country is a neutral zone for all types of financial services. Meanwhile, Facebook is repatriating Diem ops from Switzerland to the States. 

It’s all connected? 

Large publicly traded companies worry about regulatory scrutiny, which has thwarted Diem’s ambitions left and right. Past corporate blockchain adventures, both from tech companies and financial institutions, may not have generated much demand. And jaded shareholders may not support crypto development. 

By the same token...crypto-native startups or communities are not as beholden to traditional groups. They’re proficient with crypto protocols. A potential win-win? Selling pay-as-you-go services to larger companies. 

• Financial institutions are “very guarded with new product development,” Chen told us. They “view using infrastructure technologies...as a strategic advantage they are able to access to ensure faster time-to-market and risk avoidance immediately.” 

Zoom out: The wallet space is competitive. BRD’s service, which has know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering measures built in, could find paying customers among larger companies who want to roll up crypto features into existing mobile apps. —RD 

SPONSORED BY CAPITAL ONE

What if It Was Your Job to Ask, ‘What if?’

Asking, “What if,” is the (very cool) job of technologists at Capital One. 

They’re the people devoted to driving technology forward, and the ones who are pushing the boundaries of what financial services have been and can be. 

As a future-focused company, Capital One relies on inquisitive, resourceful engineers and tech developers who can solve complex, world-changing challenges. 

Oh, and guess what? Capital One is hiring for these roles right now. 

If that’s you, prepare to be a change-maker who can solve real-time issues and provide solutions for Capital One’s customers, communities, and colleagues.

And the best part? There’s a team for every interest. Whether you think AI is awesome, machine learning is magical, or developing in the cloud is the future, Capital One can help you find the right fit.

So if you’ve been thinking not just “What if,” but “When can I start?”, check out Capital One’s open roles here.

SPACE

Rocket rideshare company carpools with cloud building company

Yesterday, Google Cloud (or GCP, for those in the know) announced a partnership with SpaceX. Elon Musk’s privately held rocket rideshare and internet-from-space company will insert Starlink terminals into GCP data centers around the world. 

• The first terminal installation will be at Google's $600 million data center in New Albany, Ohio, The Verge reported. The site is not yet fully operational. 
• The service will be available in the second half of this year, Google says. 

Space, meet ground 

SpaceX has launched 1,500+ Starlink satellites into orbit. Google has fiber-optic connections and subsea cables connecting all of its data centers. At the “edge” of a network—i.e., areas underserved by telcos or internet service providers—the SpaceX-GCP partnership should make it easier for households and businesses to connect to Starlink. 

The real question: If you aren’t competing for market share in space, are you even a major US cloud provider? Microsoft Azure has its own space business segment. So does AWS, which has customers including Project Kuiper and Blue Origin. —RD

BITS & BYTES

Stat: Amazon Alexa scored its biggest auto deal ever: A six-year partnership with Ford will put the digital assistant in 700,000 vehicles this year. 

Quote: “But in this case, convenience comes at a potentially dangerous cost. Dropped covertly into someone’s bag or placed under the seat of their car, the AirTag can also serve as an inexpensive form of “‘stalkerware.’”—Freedom House’s Allie Funk, writing about Apple’s new device tracker in a WaPo op-ed 

Read: Samsung is struggling to compete with TSMC in advanced chipmaking, Nikkei writes—even though Morris Chang, TSMC’s founding CEO, views Samsung and South Korea as its strongest chipmaking competitors. 

Hodl: Barron’s explains how to dip your toes in the crypto pond without getting soaked. Crypto can be intimidating, but it also can’t be dismissed—here’s everything you need to know about the perils and possibilities.*

SPONSORED BY TEMPLAFY

Don’t hedge your bets on the future of workplace tech. Get the information you need to prepare for the future of work with Templafy’s 2021 Business Enablement Report. It has the insights that can help your team implement a technology stack that supports the next chapter of the workplace. Download your copy today. 

WEIB

• Tesla will not accept Bitcoin as payment until “mining transitions to more sustainable energy,” Elon Musk said earlier this week.  
• Bird, the micromobility company, will SPAC at a $2.3 billion implied valuation. 
• Subaru teased its first EV, available widely in 2022.
• Binance is facing tax evasion and money laundering probes from the IRS and Justice Department, Bloomberg reports. 
• Google got hit with a $123 million antitrust fine in Italy, after allegedly barring an EV recharging app from Android Auto.
• Bullish Global has big plans for DeFi, or decentralized finance, the daily Brew writes. 

GOING PHISHING

Three of the following news stories are true, and one...we made up. Can you spot the odd one out?

1. AI can now analyze your Fortnite skills and suggest tips.
2. Sony patented noise cancellation drones.
3. Soon, you’ll be able to apply for a job via TikTok.
4. Robots can now help untangle hair. 

ICYMI

Catch up on the top Emerging Tech Brew stories from the past few editions: 

• Apple and Amazon compete over new wireless networks
• The rise of “high-fidelity” digital avatars 
• What will new US fabs change—and what won't they change?

GOING PHISHING ANSWER

AI isn’t offering up recommendations to improve your Fortnite game just yet.