Google provided AI technology to IDF following Hamas assault, reports WaPo
According to internal documents, Google has been hastening its efforts to develop technology that can surpass its competitor, Amazon, reported the outlet. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The US tech giant has reportedly been hurrying to deliver technology to surpass its competitor, Amazon.
According to company documents obtained by the Washington Post, Google has been collaborating with the Israeli military since the initial stages of the Gaza war, competing with Amazon to offer artificial intelligence services.
A report released on Tuesday stated that Google employees quickly became involved in facilitating access to AI tools for the Israel Defense Forces following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in Israel's bombing and ground invasion of Gaza.
A few weeks into the conflict, an employee from Google's cloud division escalated the IDF’s requests for AI technology, despite the company's public stance of distancing itself from Israeli military operations, as cited by WaPo’s internal documents.
One document indicated that an employee cautioned that if Google did not provide access, the IDF could turn to Amazon for cloud computing services.
In a document dated November 2023, an employee expressed gratitude to a colleague for addressing the IDF’s request. In the months that followed, additional requests for AI tools for the IDF emerged from Google employees, as the documents revealed.
Previously, Google dismissed over 50 employees who protested against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government established in 2021. Under this agreement, the two companies set up data centers in Israel, offering cloud software and storage solutions to several government departments.
Protest activists argued that the Israeli military and intelligence agencies frequently infringed upon human rights in Gaza. Employees at Google had also called for clarity on how their work would be utilized, expressing concern that the technology could endanger Palestinian civilians.
According to the Post, the Israeli military has been enhancing its AI capabilities for several years, particularly focusing on surveillance imagery and identifying potential targets.
The report referenced an unnamed senior IDF official who remarked last year that the military had significantly invested in cloud technology and other computing systems, typically in collaboration with US companies.
Gaby Portnoy, head of the Israeli government's National Cyber Directorate, suggested at a conference last year that Project Nimbus played a direct role in supporting IDF combat applications.
“Due to the Nimbus public cloud, phenomenal things happen in combat, which constitute a significant part of victory - and I won’t go into detail,” he was quoted as saying by the media outlet People and Computers.
The WaPo report mentioned that the documents did not specifically illustrate how the AI technology might have been utilized in Israel’s military operations. However, it noted that the most recent documents from November 2024 indicated that Google continued supplying AI technology to the IDF amid intensified airstrikes on Gaza, possibly influencing the civilian casualty rate.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
According to company documents obtained by the Washington Post, Google has been collaborating with the Israeli military since the initial stages of the Gaza war, competing with Amazon to offer artificial intelligence services.
A report released on Tuesday stated that Google employees quickly became involved in facilitating access to AI tools for the Israel Defense Forces following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in Israel's bombing and ground invasion of Gaza.
A few weeks into the conflict, an employee from Google's cloud division escalated the IDF’s requests for AI technology, despite the company's public stance of distancing itself from Israeli military operations, as cited by WaPo’s internal documents.
One document indicated that an employee cautioned that if Google did not provide access, the IDF could turn to Amazon for cloud computing services.
In a document dated November 2023, an employee expressed gratitude to a colleague for addressing the IDF’s request. In the months that followed, additional requests for AI tools for the IDF emerged from Google employees, as the documents revealed.
Previously, Google dismissed over 50 employees who protested against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government established in 2021. Under this agreement, the two companies set up data centers in Israel, offering cloud software and storage solutions to several government departments.
Protest activists argued that the Israeli military and intelligence agencies frequently infringed upon human rights in Gaza. Employees at Google had also called for clarity on how their work would be utilized, expressing concern that the technology could endanger Palestinian civilians.
According to the Post, the Israeli military has been enhancing its AI capabilities for several years, particularly focusing on surveillance imagery and identifying potential targets.
The report referenced an unnamed senior IDF official who remarked last year that the military had significantly invested in cloud technology and other computing systems, typically in collaboration with US companies.
Gaby Portnoy, head of the Israeli government's National Cyber Directorate, suggested at a conference last year that Project Nimbus played a direct role in supporting IDF combat applications.
“Due to the Nimbus public cloud, phenomenal things happen in combat, which constitute a significant part of victory - and I won’t go into detail,” he was quoted as saying by the media outlet People and Computers.
The WaPo report mentioned that the documents did not specifically illustrate how the AI technology might have been utilized in Israel’s military operations. However, it noted that the most recent documents from November 2024 indicated that Google continued supplying AI technology to the IDF amid intensified airstrikes on Gaza, possibly influencing the civilian casualty rate.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
