Ex-Googlers Claim Gemini AI's 'Unacceptable' Bias Is Direct Result Of Company's 'Woke' Culture

Former employees of Alphabet Inc GOOGL GOOG have come forward to criticize the company’s culture, which they claim is the root cause of the Gemini AI debacle.

What Happened: Ex-Googlers blamed the company’s culture for the controversial Gemini AI tool’s extreme ideological bias. The tool, which was launched last month, has been widely criticized for its biased responses around race and gender, reported The Free Press.

Shaun Maguire, a former partner at Google Ventures, stated, “I was not shocked at all. When the first Google Gemini photos popped up on my X feed, I thought to myself: Here we go again. And: Of course. Because I know Google well.”

"The model is just a reflection of the people who trained it," one former AI researcher at Google Brain, who asked not to be named said, according to the report. "It's just a series of decisions that humans have made." 

These ex-employees claim that Google’s corporate culture prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology over excellence and good business sense. They allege that the company discouraged hiring white male employees and that DEI was a factor in every aspect of the company.

After the Gemini debacle, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai called the tool’s responses around race “unacceptable” and emphasized the company’s mission to provide unbiased information. However, the ex-staffers argue that the biased AI is a direct result of the people who trained it.

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Maguire, now a partner at Sequoia Capital, joined Google Ventures in 2016 and was promised a promotion to a general partner within three years. However, he claims that Google’s culture had already taken a turn for the worse by the time he joined, according to the report.

Why It Matters: The Gemini AI tool has been under intense scrutiny since its launch, with critics pointing out its biased responses around race and gender. This controversy has led to a wider debate about the potential dangers of AI programmed to enforce diversity at all costs, with Elon Musk even suggesting that such “woke AI” could be deadly.

Despite the controversy, Apple is reportedly in talks with Google to license Gemini AI models for future iPhones, potentially indicating a significant shift in the AI landscape.

However, the ex-employees’ allegations about Google’s culture could have a lasting impact on the company’s reputation and future AI developments.

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