Google firing respected AI researcher Timnit Gebru is cause for concern

The sacking of a respected artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and key member of Google’s Ethical AI team has set off a firestorm. Over 1,400 Google employees and thousands of techies employed in other Silicon Valley businesses have signed a letter of protest about the manner of her dismissal.

Timnit Gebru, a computer scientist of Ethiopian origin, was on leave from her post as co-head of the Google Ethical AI team when she received an e-mail saying her resignation was accepted, and found her access to her corporate email account cut off. According to her, she hadn’t resigned but was in