Google to stop building custom AI tools for oil and gas extraction

Google has said that it will no longer build custom artificial intelligence tools (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms to speed up oil and gas extraction.

The American company has decided not to build AI extraction tools after facing criticism from tech workers, politicians, and social activists over the company’s oil industry contracts.

The latest announcement comes in the wake of a Greenpeace report, which documented how Google, Microsoft and Amazon are using AI and computing power in order to help oil companies find and access deposits in the US and across the world, PTI reported.

Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organisation, says Amazon, Microsoft and Google have signed deals with major oil companies including Shell, BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil to accelerate fossil fuel exploration and extraction.

The environmentalist group said that the three technology giants have been undermining their own climate change pledges by collaborating with oil and gas majors.

Greenpeace USA senior corporate campaigner Elizabeth Jardim was quoted by the news agency as saying: “While Google still has a few legacy contracts with oil and gas firms, we welcome this indication from Google that it will no longer build custom solutions for upstream oil and gas extraction.”

According to PTI, Google said it will honour all existing contracts with its customers, but did not disclose the names of the companies.

In February last year, ExxonMobil partnered with Microsoft to deploy Cloud technology to enhance operational efficiencies and generate increased profits from the Permian Basin.

In April 2018, Total signed an agreement with Google Cloud for the joint development of AI solutions to accelerate oil and gas exploration and production.