Project Maven is still, in large, a question to the public but experts have vowed to explore options in pushing the Pentagon to expose details about the artificial intelligence-linked project.
Technology expert Sam Biddle wrote for The Intercept that Google's secretive work on drone activity, Project Maven, has been exempted from the United States' Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, industry analysts pointed out that this exemption lacks justification from the Pentagon.
Biddle pointed out that FOIA is a key tool in allowing the media to help the public obtain knowledge about what the government is doing to further boost the economy. However, Pentagon cited a law that permits the American government to put a stop to any sort of records disclosed that relate to "critical infrastructure security information."
Deputy General Counsel of The Intercept, Kay Murray, said Pentagon's refusal to release information is unjustified. "Project Maven is undeniable of interest to the public. We are exploring all options to gain access to the information about the program that under FOIA can and should be disclosed," she stressed.
The only known detail about Project Maven is that it would use artificial intelligence for easier and faster tracking of drone targets. It was also revealed that Google has dropped the contract due to extreme backlash from its employees. At the moment, Project Maven is reportedly connected to Anduril Industries, a defense startup.
Despite Google's pledge to not renew its contract with the Pentagon for Project Maven, it was revealed earlier this month that the American tech giant will still support the new contractor with its "basic" cloud tools.
In an email, Google's Senior Vice President for Global Affairs, Kent Walker, reportedly clarified that Project Maven will use the "off-the-shelf Google Cloud Platform to support some workloads." The controversy has since played a role in the company's overall growth and sales.
Walker further said in the email that the company will not close doors to projects that involve public safety. He cited sectors such as healthcare, cybersecurity, and search and rescue, as key industries that Google will consider as long as the projects are "consistent with our AI principles."
Founder of Anduril Industries, Palmer Luckey, said in November that he is hoping that the firm's current system called Lattice, can help U.S. soldiers have "perfect omniscience" while in the battle to help reduce potential risks.
At that time, Luckey explained that with Project Maven, data from multiple sensor points will be condensed into "an AI-powered sensor fusion platform" that will help soldiers have a 3D view of a large area.
