Google CEO Pichai apologises for handling of departure of AI expert, will work to ‘restore trust’

  • Alphabet-owned company has launched an internal review into how expert’s departure was handled and the impact the incident has had on employees
  • The episode began when Google asked researcher to retract a paper, or at least remove the names of the Google employees involved

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo: AP

Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai apologised to employees on Wednesday and launched an investigation into how the company handled the departure of prominent AI researcher Timnit Gebru.

“I’ve heard the reaction to Dr. Gebru’s departure loud and clear,” Pichai said in a staff-wide email sent Wednesday that was reviewed by Bloomberg. “It seeded doubts and led some in our community to question their place at Google. I want to say how sorry I am for that, and I accept the responsibility of working to restore your trust.”

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