The other labs already censor their models. Everyone is trying to find the sweet spot where performance and ‘alignment’ are both maximized. This seems no different
They are not unique in this. Apple and Tesla have similar programs. More nuance is warranted here. They are trying to balance the need to enable external research with the need to protect users from arbitrary 3rd parties having special capabilities that could be used maliciously
In this case there is almost no distinction. Assuming the model is as powerful as claimed, someone with access to the weights could do immense damage without additional significant R&D.
Steve understood better than anyone that having a finite amount of time to build means you can't please everyone. The vast majority of Apple's customers just do not care about the Keyboard settings UI or the clarity of unusual error messages.
It is naive to suggest that this data can't possibly be used for anything bad. This change results in Google collecting a lot more information about the software that is being created outside of Google. After this change, Go developers working on private projects will end up regularly transmitting their lists of dependencies to Google, unless the risks are properly understood and preventative steps are taken.
Google's business is collecting and monetizing information. It is entirely reasonable and appropriate to express cynicism about new initiatives that result in mass data collection.