Google won't do artificial intelligence work for weapons, the company said Thursday.
Google has come under fire in recent months for its contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to use AI for sifting through drone footage.
Google and other tech firms have been bringing the advances in AI to fields such as medicine, natural disaster planning, energy, transportation and manufacturing.
But these advances have also led to ethical concerns about the kinds of decisions being made without human input.
In recent months, more than 4,000 Google employees signed a petition calling for the cancellation of the company's contract with the Department of Defense. They joined other critics in raising alarms that the project could lead to the use of autonomous weapons.
Last week, a Google executive reportedly told employees that the company would not seek to renew its contract with the military.