Google updated its artificial intelligence principles on Tuesday to remove commitments around not using the technology in ways “that cause or are likely to cause overall harm.” A scrubbed section of the revised AI ethics guidelines previously committed Google to not designing or deploying AI for use in surveillance,

In its earnings report the company said it would spend $75bn ($60bn) on AI projects this year, 29% more than Wall Street analysts had expected. The company is investing in the inf

The policy shift emerged when two senior figures, James Manyika (Google-Alphabet’s senior vice-president) and Sir Demis Hassabis (chief executive of Google DeepMind), co-authored a blog post confirming the technology giant’s commitment to “support national security” in an increasingly tense geopolitical race for AI leadership.

Google updated its AI principles, removing a pledge to avoid harmful applications like weapons and surveillance, signaling a shift in policy.

Google published principles in 2018 barring its AI technology from being used for sensitive purposes. Weeks into President Donald Trump’s second term, those guidelines are being overhauled.

In an update to its AI principles, Google pointedly omits an earlier ban on developing AI weapons or surveillance technology.