I went to their shing dig and they were working their butt off to wow the developers who were invited. When I asked for hard number they were very mum about that and very evasive.
The timeline for Nervana chip have been always seemingly in this mystical horizon that is never solidified to a real date but over yonder.
Google is going to pull this crap? They got better software expertise than Intel though they may be able to do it. But after that fiasco with Angular 1 to 2 I wouldn't trust Google with any early version number.
This is the problem with certain kinds of technology that are bumping up against the edge of innovation. They're too powerful and if these technologies get in the hands of the DIY set, governments will lose control so they have to DRM and regulate everything. Heck, it's a problem with old technology. Many weapons aren't that complicated technologically, but their production and use are tightly regulated.
Edit: I'm not saying this is a good thing, I'm just deconstructing their though process for tight control over AI tech going forward.
The "right thing to do" is to open up these technologies, so that everyone can harness its power, not hide them under the wing and discretion of the (already too) powerful.
For some reason drones are perceived to be completely different from all weapons that have existed before them. Those killer drones have existed for half a century. They are called missiles. Also the reason why UAV based fighter jets are not viable is because a cruise missile can be launched from 1000 miles away and for the cost of a global hawk you can send out more than a hundred of them.
If terrorists have access to explosives then it doesn't matter how they deliver them because most lucrative targets (= lots of people in a small area) are stationary or predictable. A simple bagpack filled with explosives was more than enough to injure hundreds of people during the Boston Marathon.