I get what you're saying. I have no evidence and no inside information. It could be a conspiracy, but I doubt it. It could just be multiple individuals independently being uncomfortable with tacitly approving a huge company they see as potentially responsible for privacy problems, ethics problems and AI misuse. I don't see these as invalid concerns either. And I don't see being conflicted about giving an award to an employee of a company tied to big ethical concerns as anti-science or having a lack of integrity.
Discovering breakthroughs in machine learning is a profound achievement and deserves to be recognized. Wielding powerful tools against humanity for the sake of money, not so much. But, like I said, I could be dead wrong, and this is probably why I wouldn't be a good person to serve on one of these committees.
Discovering breakthroughs in machine learning is a profound achievement and deserves to be recognized. Wielding powerful tools against humanity for the sake of money, not so much. But, like I said, I could be dead wrong, and this is probably why I wouldn't be a good person to serve on one of these committees.