Nvidia must stop the $3B acquisition of AI21 Labs over complicity in military operations and genocide in Gaza

Skyline International for Human Rights (SIHR) is calling for an immediate and permanent halt to negotiations between the technology giant Nvidia and the Tel Aviv startup AI21 Labs. Reports indicate that Nvidia is in advanced talks to acquire the firm for 3 billion dollars, a move that Skyline views as a dangerous consolidation of two entities deeply linked to the automation of military violence and genocide in Gaza.

Nvidia is no longer just a computer chip company. Recent investigations show that the company is actively growing its business in the occupied territories to capitalize on AI technologies used during the genocide in Gaza. Special AI chips from Nvidia provide the power for systems used to automate target identification. These chips serve as the "engine" for military surveillance, helping drones and tracking systems operate at a scale that devastates and dehumanizes Palestinians.

The proposed acquisition of AI21 Labs would further put specialized military skills directly into Nvidia’s hands. AI21 Labs specializes in foundational Large Language Models (LLMs) that interpret human communication at a massive scale. AI21 Labs’ co-founder and co-CEO, Ori Goshen, has confirmed that his staff participated in military AI projects in Gaza while serving in the army. Furthermore, reports from The Guardian and +972 Magazine have detailed how this expertise is utilized by Unit 8200 to weaponize generative AI, processing intercepted Palestinian data to generate "target lists."

Palestinians face a huge and growing danger from this partnership. History shows that these tech companies often use their technology to control Palestinian life through digital occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Putting Nvidia’s hardware and AI21’s software together gives the military a much more invasive way to listen to private conversations and automatically profile civilians.

Regional trends SIHR has already documented would also accelerate because of this acquisition. In countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, and Bahrain, we have seen how similar AI surveillance technologies are repurposed to restrict the freedom of assembly and silence dissent. One single system for repression would be created if Nvidia and AI21 Labs joined together. Tools developed through the suffering in Palestine would then be sold to other countries to be used for global surveillance.

Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Nvidia has a clear obligation to prevent its technology from contributing to international law violations. The company must recognize that its own AI models provide the infrastructure for algorithmic warfare and cannot be divorced from the resulting atrocities. Nvidia’s ongoing financial and structural support for the Israeli tech-military complex demonstrates a corporate strategy that prioritizes profit over human life.

Skyline International demands that Nvidia terminate the AI21 Labs acquisition. We call for a full, independent, and public human rights impact assessment of Nvidia’s entire operations in Palestine and the broader region.