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Google fires prominent AI ethicist Timnit Gebru
The Verge ^ | Dec 3, 2020, 1:11pm EST | Zoe Schiffer

Posted on 12/03/2020 1:13:20 PM PST by BenLurkin

The technical co-lead of Google’s Ethical Artificial Intelligence Team claims managers were upset about an email she’d sent to colleagues.

The email, which was sent to the Brain Women and Allies listserv, voiced frustration that managers were trying to get Gebru to retract a research paper. The full text was first published in Platformer. “A week before you go out on vacation, you see a meeting pop up at 4:30pm PST on your calendar,” it reads. “Then in that meeting your manager’s manager tells you ‘it has been decided’ that you need to retract this paper by next week... You are not worth having any conversations about this, since you are not someone whose humanity (let alone expertise recognized by journalists, governments, scientists, civic organizations such as the electronic frontiers foundation etc) is acknowledged or valued in this company.”

After the email went out, Gebru told managers that certain conditions had to be met in order for her to stay at the company. Otherwise, she would have to work on a transition plan.

Megan Kacholia, vice president of engineering at Google Research, said she could not meet the conditions and accepted Gebru’s resignation as a result, according to OneZero. Kacholia added, “However, we believe the end of your employment should happen faster than your email reflects because certain aspects of the email you sent last night to non-management employees in the brain group reflect behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of a Google manager,” according to Gebru. On Twitter, she claimed the decision to fire her ultimately came from Google’s head of AI, Jeff Dean.

(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: apple; blackkk; blackliesmatter; brainwomenandallies; dean; gebru; google; googlers; jeffdean; margaretmitchell; megankacholia; samybengio; timnitbegur; timnitgebru; twitter
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To: SuperLuminal

LMAO!


21 posted on 12/03/2020 2:10:33 PM PST by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: BenLurkin

“You are not worth having any conversations about this, since you are not someone whose humanity (let alone expertise recognized by journalists, governments, scientists, civic organizations such as the electronic frontiers foundation etc) is acknowledged or valued in this company.”

The entitlement is strong in this one.


22 posted on 12/03/2020 2:24:22 PM PST by Flick Lives (My work's illegal, but at least it's honest. - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds)
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To: Flick Lives

A good example of how all the wrong people are in charge of too many things.


23 posted on 12/03/2020 2:28:07 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: dangus

I’m not sure what the meaning is, I just know that my company manages a highrise building full of Ethiopian immigrants and half of them seem to be named “Gebru”. The only thing more popular is some version of “selassie” included in their name (as tribute to Haile Selassie perhaps?), including “Gebreselassie” which seems to be a combination of the two words.


24 posted on 12/03/2020 2:28:17 PM PST by Boogieman
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To: BenLurkin

Can you point me to the American Sector? Because I do not understand the “personnel” gibberish, and apparently have been mis-directed to this place called “Google.”


25 posted on 12/03/2020 2:30:38 PM PST by linMcHlp
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To: BenLurkin

Honestly, I can’t tell here if she went too far left or not far enough. Is she too cancel culture or not enough?


26 posted on 12/03/2020 2:33:35 PM PST by SE Mom (Screaming Eagle mom)
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To: Boogieman

Hrm... Selassie means “trinity.”


27 posted on 12/03/2020 2:36:09 PM PST by dangus
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To: BenLurkin

And we are supposed care?

Sorry, I figure it’ll be a great day in America when Google goes down permanently


28 posted on 12/03/2020 2:36:48 PM PST by OneVike (Just another Christian waiting to go home)
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To: BenLurkin

Just Google not being evil again.


29 posted on 12/03/2020 2:42:13 PM PST by Renkluaf
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To: Boogieman

We have an Eritrean clan in our church. “Gebremariam” is one of the names a lot of them have.


30 posted on 12/03/2020 2:56:21 PM PST by Tax-chick (Know Jesus, know peace.)
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To: Boogieman

Yup...the surname Selassie is highly utilized.


31 posted on 12/03/2020 3:34:50 PM PST by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and diamonds, and harder to find.)
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