Google scrubs mentions of ‘diversity’ and ‘equity’ from responsible AI team webpage

Google has quietly updated the webpage for its Responsible AI and Human Centered Technology (RAI-HCT) team, the team charged with conducting research into AI safety, fairness, and explainability, to scrub mentions of “diversity” and “equity.”
A previous version of the page used language such as “marginalized communities,” “diverse,” “underrepresented groups,” and “equity” to describe the RAI-HCT team’s work. That language has been removed, or in some cases replaced with less specific wording (e.g. “all,” “varied,” and “numerous” rather than “diverse”)
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Date: Feb 26 – March 6, 2025
Company: @Google
Change: Scrubbed mentions of diversity and equity from the mission description of their Responsible AI team. pic.twitter.com/i9VvBcHMQ6— The Midas Project Watchtower (@SafetyChanges) March 8, 2025
The changes, which were spotted by watchdog group The Midas Project, come after Google deleted similar language from its Startups Founders Fund grant website. The company said in early February that it would eliminate its diversity hiring targets and review its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Google is among the many big tech companies that have rolled back DEI initiatives as the Trump Administration targets what it characterizes as an “illegal” practice. Amazon and Meta have walked back DEI measures over the past few months, and OpenAI recently removed mentions of diversity and inclusion from a webpage on its hiring practices. Apple, however, recently pushed back against a shareholder proposal to end its DEI programs.
Many of these companies, including Google, have contracts with federal agencies.
You Might Also Like
Chinese marketplace DHgate becomes a top US app as trade war intensifies
The Trump trade war has gone viral on TikTok, pushing a Chinese e-commerce app, DHgate, to the top of the...
Hertz says customers’ personal data and driver’s licenses stolen in data breach
Car rental giant Hertz has begun notifying its customers of a data breach that included their personal information and driver’s...
OpenAI plans to phase out GPT-4.5, its largest-ever AI model, from its API
OpenAI said on Monday that it would soon wind down the availability of GPT-4.5, its largest-ever AI model, via its...
Google’s newest AI model is designed to help study dolphin ‘speech’
Google’s AI research lab, Google DeepMind, says that it has created an AI model that can help decipher dolphin vocalizations,...