More than 560 Google employees have signed an open letter urging CEO Sundar Pichai to refuse allowing the US government to use the company's AI technology for classified military operations. The letter, sent Monday, warns that Google could become associated with "inhumane" uses including lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance without proper safeguards.

The protest follows reports that Google is close to reaching a deal with the Department of Defense that would allow its Gemini model in classified operations. The timing is significant after Anthropic was designated a supply-chain risk and Trump ordered all government departments to stop using its Claude chatbot when it refused to give the government unfettered access to its models. Two-fifths of signatories work in Google's AI division, with about 18 senior staff including directors and vice-presidents signing.

This marks Google's second major internal revolt over military AI. In 2018, staff successfully protested Project Maven, which used AI to improve drone strikes—Google did not renew that contract and pledged not to work on AI for weapons or surveillance. However, the company quietly dropped that stance last year, deleting language from its AI Principles that promised not to pursue weapons-related AI. Co-founder Demis Hassabis defended the shift, arguing the world has changed since 2014. The letter concludes that making the wrong call now would cause irreparable damage to Google's reputation and role in the world.