Google sidelines second artificial intelligence researcher

The Alphabet Workers Union, which counts Mitchell as a member, said it was concerned by the suspension of her systems access, calling the move an ‘attack on the people who are trying to make Google’s technology more ethical’. — Bloomberg

Google locked out artificial intelligence researcher Margaret Mitchell from its corporate systems, making her the second outspoken critic at the company to be sidelined. Mitchell was a vocal supporter of her colleague Timnit Gebru, who departed under acrimonious circumstances last month.

Mitchell leads Alphabet Inc’s Ethical AI unit, which is responsible for developing the company’s technology in a socially responsible manner. Gebru tweeted on Tuesday that Mitchell’s “corp access is now locked” and that the researcher had been told she would remain locked out “for at least a few days”.