If you work out the timeline, you'll also see the work was early in the current AI wave, i.e. do you think a Navy physician in training was talking to Googlers

If you work out the timeline, you'll also see the work was early in the current AI wave, i.e. do you think a Navy physician in training was talking to Googlers without formal agreements in place already? So walk back that August 2016 email to initial talks taking place at least several months, maybe a year or more, and probably ideation even earlier.