, Columnist
Alphabet’s AI Critics Are Asking the Wrong Questions
Recent shareholder proposals show how inadequate tech and AI governance really is.
Optimization.
Photographer: Gabby Jones/BloombergA small group of Alphabet Inc. shareholders made strange bedfellows recently when they demanded the company pay more attention to artificial intelligence risks.
The National Legal & Policy Center (NLPC), for instance, was worried about AI’s impact on privacy rights. Inspire Investing — a shareholder that backs “biblically responsible investing” and sometimes targets so-called woke corporate policies — complained it could censor religious and political speech. And the Shareholder Association for Research & Education (SHARE) said Google’s AI could inadvertently erode human rights and fuel discrimination.