Google has quietly deleted its pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance, a promise that had been in place since 2018.

Google’s updated AI ethics policy removes its promise that it won’t use the technology to pursue weapons and surveillance.

Human Rights Watch has criticised the decision, telling the BBC that AI can "complicate accountability" for battlefield decisions that "may have life or death consequences." In a blog post Google defended the change,

China countered President Donald Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs on select U.S. imports, as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google.

The Chinese government’s move to open an antitrust probe into Google is the latest development in a long and tangled relationship that goes back to the early 2000s. The investigation was one of a flurry of Chinese retaliatory measures announced Tuesday in response to a 10 percent tariff imposed by U.

China says it will investigate Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws.

Google parent Alphabet Inc. posted fourth-quarter revenue that missed analysts’ expectations as growth in its cloud business slowed. The shares fell more than 8%.

Alphabet reports fourth-quarter earnings after Tuesday's closing bell. Investors will be focused on cloud momentum and AI traction, with shares of the Google and YouTube parent company holding fast near the record levels achieved last week.