Palantir long-term political mission statement released over the weekend It has the opposite effect, potentially putting government contracts in the UK at risk.
Several members of the UK parliament have publicly criticized the move, while other officials have hinted that the National Health Service (NHS) may withdraw early from its seven-year, £330 million ($445.8 million) contract with the company.
Palantir on Saturday published what many are calling a manifesto About X post It consists of a 22-point summary The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Faith, and the Future of the WestA book co-authored by CEO Alex Karp.
He argues that Silicon Valley owes the United States a “moral debt” and must defend it, arguing that “Some cultures have made vital progress while others remain dysfunctional and regressive.”
For a company that actively seeks government contracts around the world, this post makes it pretty clear where the company’s ultimate allegiance lies.
Other points in the post argue that Silicon Valley has a role to play in solving violent crime, that AI weapons are inevitable, and that the US should “seriously consider moving away from all-volunteer forces.”
The message hasn’t gone down well across the pond, where Palantir has won more than £500 million ($675.6 million) in contracts, including a £330 million ($445.6 million) NHS contract in England. The Guardian.
“In the US, Palantir’s manifesto, which includes state surveillance of citizens with artificial intelligence alongside national service, is either a parody of a RoboCop movie or a disturbingly narcissistic rant from an arrogant organization,” said Martin Wrigley, a Liberal Democrat MP and member of Guardian technology. “Either way, it shows that the company’s ethics are completely unsuitable for working on UK government projects involving citizens’ most sensitive personal data.”
Another Liberal Democrat MP, Victoria Collins, said the manifesto sounded like “the ravings of a watchdog”.
“A company with such bare ideological motives and does not respect the democratic rule of law should not be close to our public services,” he said.
And it seems complaints aren’t just talk.
Registration reports that the UK government may exit the NHS contract with Palantir early. Speaking in Westminster Hall on Monday, junior health minister Zubir Ahmed said the deal could be reassessed in a break clause planned for next spring.
“My north star is always patient safety and quality and of course value for money. If at the break point we evaluate and find there are other providers that can do the job better, that’s certainly something to look at and think about,” he said.
In addition to social media posts, some MPs have also expressed concerns about the platform itself. According to The Register, critics have called the system “terrible” to use and questioned how useful it is for many organizations in the NHS. There have also been complaints about limited control over the system and the lack of intellectual property rights for the NHS.
“The Palantir program is helping to improve NHS operations, reduce the time it takes to diagnose cancer, keep Royal Navy ships at sea for longer and protect women and children from domestic violence,” a Palantir spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Gizmodo. “We’re proud that support is provided by 17 per cent of our UK-based workforce – the highest proportion of the world’s 20 largest technology companies.”
