Bytes: Week in Review — Google’s AI policy pivot, OpenAI teams up with California colleges, and robotaxis arrive in Austin

Marketplace Tech

American Public Media

Technology, News

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this week’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we’ll explore OpenAI’s inroads in higher education. Plus, how passengers can get on a waitlist to hail a driverless car in Austin, Texas. But first, a look at how Google is changing its approach to artificial intelligence. In 2018, the company published its “AI principles,” guidelines for how it believed AI should be built and used. Google originally included language that said it would not design or deploy AI to be used in weapons or surveillance. That language has now gone away. Google didn’t respond to our request for comment, but it did say in a blog post this week that companies and governments should work together to create AI that, among other things, supports national security. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, about these topics for this week’s “Tech Bytes.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Google's principles around AI evolve.
0:04.9	From American Public Media, this is Marketplace Tech.
0:07.9	I'm Stephanie Hughes.
0:18.0	It's Friday.
0:19.3	Time for Marketplace Techbytes.
0:20.8	We can review.
0:21.6	Today we'll talk about Open AI making headway in higher education.
0:26.6	Also about how passengers can get on a wait list to be able to hail a driverless car in Austin.
0:32.6	But first, a look at how Google is changing its approach to AI.
0:36.6	Back in 2018, Google published its AI principles.
0:40.8	Basically, guidelines for how the company believes AI should be built and used. Google originally
0:46.7	included language that said it would not design or deploy AI to be used in weapons or for surveillance purposes.
0:53.2	That language has recently gone away.
0:56.1	Google didn't respond to our request for comment, but it did say in a blog post this week that
1:00.7	companies and governments should work together to create AI that, among other things, supports
1:05.7	national security. Natasha Mascaranis is a reporter at The Information.
1:13.5	I asked her why Google is making this change now.
1:17.9	It's been the steady march towards large organizations,
1:21.6	sort of going towards broader language when it comes to the types of use cases their technology will be used in.
1:23.6	About one year ago, OpenAI, you know, walked back a similar ban.
1:28.9	Fast forward, we saw Open AI announce a partnership with Andrewil, one of the biggest weapons, machinery, tech companies
1:35.2	to deploy its AI models with a national security efforts, especially with the new administration
	...

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