Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Google Artificial Intelligence Chief Apologises For Firing Black Woman Employee

Google Artificial Intelligence Chief Apologises For Firing Black Woman Employee

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive officer of parent company Alphabet Inc., described the changes in an email to employees, said a person familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified discussing non-public information.
Google will start grading executives based on workforce diversity goals and increase human resources staffing, acknowledging fault in its acrimonious split with Timnit Gebru, a prominent former employee and one of the few Black women in the field of artificial intelligence.

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive officer of parent company Alphabet Inc., described the changes in an email to employees, said a person familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified discussing non-public information. The email included comments by Jeff Dean, the executive who leads the company's artificial intelligence and research efforts, saying he was sorry for how he handled Gebru's exit, according to a copy of the message reviewed by Bloomberg.

"I understand we could have and should have handled the situation with more sensitivity," Dean wrote. "And for that, I am sorry," Dean said Google's behavior toward Gebru hurt some female and Black employees and led them to question whether they belonged at the company. He did not apologize directly to Gebru in the email to staff.

Executives' performance evaluations will now be partly tied to diversity, equity and inclusion goals, and Google will double the amount of human resources staff working on employee retention, according to the memo.

A spokesman for Google declined to comment. The changes were reported earlier Friday by news website Axios.

Several large companies have made diversity a factor in executive performance and compensation. They include McDonald's Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

At Google, the changes came after turmoil stemming from Gebru's departure. She said she was fired in December after refusing to retract a research paper critical of a key Google technology or remove the Google authors from it. Google has said that Gebru, the former co-head of ethical AI, resigned. Still, former colleagues expressed outrage over the company's handling of the matter.

On Thursday, the company appointed Marian Croak as vice president of engineering, elevating an experienced Black woman to lead a new, centralized organization to develop AI responsibly. The further changes outlined Friday marked the conclusion of an internal investigation into the handling of Gebru's departure.

Dean also detailed a plan to clarify the process for approving research papers by Google authors for outside publication. The current process has too many intersecting parts, particularly for "sensitive" research, he said, and what's considered sensitive isn't always clear.

"We're building a more unified, start-to-finish process with clearer guidance along the way on what steps are needed, who is accountable at each step and Google's research goals and priorities," Dean wrote.

Dean did not address the questions raised by the Gebru example as to whether Google's AI ethics team will be allowed to critically examine the very technologies the search and advertising giant uses in its commercial products.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
×