OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday appointed Marian Croak, one of its few black executives, to oversee responsible artificial intelligence (AI) research after weeks of internal anger over dismissal of a prominent black scientist.
Google has confirmed that Croak will manage ten teams, including a dozen scientists studying the ethical considerations of automated technologies known as AI. Timnit Gebru, co-leader of Ethical AI, said in December that Google abruptly fired her for challenging the company’s orders.
For weeks, employees have expressed concern that Google’s criticism of Gebru is leading to unfair punishment and that Croak has been among executives trying to get a path to follow between staff and management.
Croak, an engineering vice president who will report to Google AI chief Jeff Dean, told employees at a meeting Thursday that he respected Gebru and that what happened to him was unfortunate.
In a video on Google’s blog, she also acknowledged her dissent in the areas of research that now correspond to her. “There’s a lot of conflict within the field now, and sometimes it can be polarizing, and what I’d like to do is get people to hold the conversation in a more diplomatic way,” he said.
Google employee Alex Hanna on Twitter called the news of Croak a “betrayal,” saying it occurred behind the backs of the Ethical AI team and failed to meet the demands made by team after Gebru ‘s shot.
Gebru said in a statement, “Marian is a very advanced scientist that I had admired and even trusted. It’s incredibly painful to see her legitimize what Jeff Dean and his subordinates have done to me and my team.”
Croak, who previously worked on site reliability for Google, will also oversee teams doing research related to accessibility, the social good, and equity in health algorithms.
Reports by Paresh Dave and Jeffrey Dastin; Edited by Christopher Cushing