Why is it in the News?

Google's employees staged protests against the company's collaboration with the Israeli government on "Project Nimbus", a $1.2 billion cloud computing initiative.

What is Project Nimbus?

• Google’s Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion cloud computing initiative with the Israeli government.
• The project aims to provide public cloud services to address challenges within various sectors in Israel, including healthcare, transportation, and education in Israel.
  • However, the project has sparked controversy leading to protests and layoffs within the company.
• Project Nimbus involves Google establishing a secure instance of Google Cloud on Israeli soil.
  • This would allow the Israeli government to perform large-scale data analysis, AI training, database hosting, and other forms of powerful computing using Google’s technology.
  • The project is a joint contract between Google and Amazon signed in 2021.
• As part of the agreement, Google Cloud will work with the public sector on the formulation of best practices for cloud migration, integration, and optimization of cloud services.
• According to the official announcement in the year 2021, Google Cloud will also provide training to the country’s technical government employees and senior leaders to enhance digital skills.

What is the Controversy Surrounding Project Nimbus?

• Despite the potential benefits, Project Nimbus has sparked controversy due to concerns about the potential misuse of AI and other technologies.
• Employees fear that the technology developed under Project Nimbus could be used in harmful ways.
• There have been reports suggesting that Israel is using AI to eliminate its targets.
  • Israeli outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call claimed that two AI systems, "Lavender" and "Where's Daddy?" were used to identify 37,000 Hamas operatives.
  • However, there's no official confirmation regarding any connection between Project Nimbus and these AI systems. 
• The use of AI also causes concern as it is still a relatively new technology on the battlefield and is yet to be regulated by governments across the globe.

Google Response to the Accusations Regarding Project Nimbus?

• Google clarified that the project is intended for use by Israeli government ministries in areas such as finance, healthcare, transportation, and education, emphasizing that it is not aimed at handling highly sensitive or classified military operations related to weaponry or intelligence services.