# AI at Google: our principles

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At its heart, AI is computer programming that learns and adapts. It can't solve
every problem, but its potential to improve our lives is profound. At Google, we
use AI to make products more useful—from email that's spam-free and easier to
compose, to a digital assistant you can speak to naturally, to photos that pop
the fun stuff out for you to enjoy.

Beyond our products, we're using AI to help people tackle urgent problems. A
pair of high school students are building AI-powered sensors to predict the risk
of wildfires. Farmers are using it to monitor the health of their herds. Doctors
are starting to use AI to help diagnose cancer and prevent blindness. These
clear benefits are why Google invests heavily in AI research and development,
and makes AI technologies widely available to others via our tools and
open-source code.

We recognize that such powerful technology raises equally powerful questions
about its use. How AI is developed and used will have a significant impact on
society for many years to come. As a leader in AI, we feel a deep responsibility
to get this right. So today, we're announcing seven principles to guide our work
going forward. These are not theoretical concepts; they are concrete standards
that will actively govern our research and product development and will impact
our business decisions.

We acknowledge that this area is dynamic and evolving, and we will approach our
work with humility, a commitment to internal and external engagement, and a
willingness to adapt our approach as we learn over time.

Objectives for AI applications We will assess AI applications in view of the
following objectives. We believe that AI should:

## Be socially beneficial.

The expanded reach of new technologies increasingly touches society as a whole.
Advances in AI will have transformative impacts in a wide range of fields,
including healthcare, security, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and
entertainment. As we consider potential development and uses of AI technologies,
we will take into account a broad range of social and economic factors, and will
proceed where we believe that the overall likely benefits substantially exceed
the foreseeable risks and downsides.

AI also enhances our ability to understand the meaning of content at scale. We
will strive to make high-quality and accurate information readily available
using AI, while continuing to respect cultural, social, and legal norms in the
countries where we operate. And we will continue to thoughtfully evaluate when
to make our technologies available on a non-commercial basis.

## Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias.

AI algorithms and datasets can reflect, reinforce, or reduce unfair biases. We
recognize that distinguishing fair from unfair biases is not always simple, and
differs across cultures and societies. We will seek to avoid unjust impacts on
people, particularly those related to sensitive characteristics such as race,
ethnicity, gender, nationality, income, sexual orientation, ability, and
political or religious belief.

## Be built and tested for safety.

We will continue to develop and apply strong safety and security practices to
avoid unintended results that create risks of harm. We will design our AI
systems to be appropriately cautious, and seek to develop them in accordance
with best practices in AI safety research. In appropriate cases, we will test AI
technologies in constrained environments and monitor their operation after
deployment.

## Be accountable to people.

We will design AI systems that provide appropriate opportunities for feedback,
relevant explanations, and appeal. Our AI technologies will be subject to
appropriate human direction and control.

## Incorporate privacy design principles.

We will incorporate our privacy principles in the development and use of our AI
technologies. We will give opportunity for notice and consent, encourage
architectures with privacy safeguards, and provide appropriate transparency and
control over the use of data.

## Uphold high standards of scientific excellence.

Technological innovation is rooted in the scientific method and a commitment to
open inquiry, intellectual rigor, integrity, and collaboration. AI tools have
the potential to unlock new realms of scientific research and knowledge in
critical domains like biology, chemistry, medicine, and environmental sciences.
We aspire to high standards of scientific excellence as we work to progress AI
development.

We will work with a range of stakeholders to promote thoughtful leadership in
this area, drawing on scientifically rigorous and multidisciplinary approaches.
And we will responsibly share AI knowledge by publishing educational materials,
best practices, and research that enable more people to develop useful AI
applications.

## Be made available for uses that accord with these principles.

Many technologies have multiple uses. We will work to limit potentially harmful
or abusive applications. As we develop and deploy AI technologies, we will
evaluate likely uses in light of the following factors:

Primary purpose and use: the primary purpose and likely use of a technology and
application, including how closely the solution is related to or adaptable to a
harmful use

Nature and uniqueness: whether we are making available technology that is unique
or more generally available

Scale: whether the use of this technology will have significant impact

Nature of Google's involvement: whether we are providing general-purpose tools,
integrating tools for customers, or developing custom solutions

## AI applications we will not pursue

In addition to the above objectives, we will not design or deploy AI in the
following application areas:

*   Technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall harm. Where there is
    a material risk of harm, we will proceed only where we believe that the
    benefits substantially outweigh the risks, and will incorporate appropriate
    safety constraints.

*   Weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is
    to cause or directly facilitate injury to people.

*   Technologies that gather or use information for surveillance violating
    internationally accepted norms.

*   Technologies whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of
    international law and human rights.

## AI for the long term

While this is how we're choosing to approach AI, we understand there is room for
many voices in this conversation. As AI technologies progress, we'll work with a
range of stakeholders to promote thoughtful leadership in this area, drawing on
scientifically rigorous and multidisciplinary approaches. And we will continue
to share what we've learned to improve AI technologies and practices.

We believe these principles are the right foundation for our company and the
future development of AI. This approach is consistent with the values laid out
in our original Founders' Letter back in 2004. There we made clear our intention
to take a long-term perspective, even if it means making short-term tradeoffs.
We said it then, and we believe it now.
