Once Controversial, Clarifai Now Sits at AI’s Ethical Middle Ground

In 2018, Clarifai made headlines for reasons it likely didn’t intend. The New York-based AI company, known for its work in computer vision, became a flashpoint in the debate over military AI ethics when it was revealed to be working with the Pentagon on Project Maven, a controversial program aimed at analyzing drone imagery with machine learning. The company defended its role in the project as a way to reduce civilian casualties through greater targeting accuracy. But internal dissent followed. Several employees raised ethical concerns. Some resigned. Others accused the company of downplaying the project’s military nature and failing to report a security breach in a timely manner. Former director of marketing Liz O’Sullivan publicly criticized the company and eventually quit, stat