Google told staff worried about Pentagon AI deals that the company is ‘leaning more’ into national security contracts

Google told employees that it was confident its work with the Department of Defense aligned with the company’s AI principles — and that it was “leaning more” into securing national security work with governments, Business Insider has learned.

In a Google DeepMind town hall in January, leaders including CEO Demis Hassabis addressed a question from staff that asked how Google was ensuring its partnerships with the Department of Defense and Boston Dynamics weren’t violating the company’s AI policies.

Tom Lue, Google DeepMind’s VP of global affairs, said the company has a “robust process” in place to review details around intended use cases and whether partners have protections for safety, responsibility, and privacy, according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by Business Insider.

Lue reminded staff that the company had updated its AI principles in 2025. That change removed a previous pledge not to use Google’s technology to develop…