Around 300 members of Google’s DeepMind team in London are moving to unionize with the Communication Workers Union, according to a Financial Times report citing people involved in the effort. These employees are reportedly upset over Google’s recent decision to remove a commitment from its website that promised not to use artificial intelligence for weapons or surveillance purposes. They are also concerned about Google’s work with the Israeli military, including a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract, which has sparked protests within the company.
According to the report, some DeepMind employees feel “duped” by the company’s changes, and internal communication suggests that at least five staff members have already resigned over the issues. DeepMind, which has about 2,000 employees in the United Kingdom, has not commented directly on the unionization move. However, a Google spokesperson told the Financial Times that the company supports “constructive and open dialogue” with employees.
This push to unionize is not the first within Google’s ranks. Previously, around 200 employees from Google and its parent company Alphabet, announced their own unionization efforts. However, that group was too small to have collective bargaining power across the larger company workforce. The DeepMind effort, if successful, could mark a larger and more organized push within Google’s workforce, focusing specifically on ethical concerns surrounding AI development and military involvement.
The situation highlights growing tensions between tech workers and their employers over ethical questions in artificial intelligence and government contracts. It also reflects a broader movement among tech employees who are demanding greater say in how their work is used, especially when it comes to sensitive areas like defense and surveillance. How Google responds to this unionization drive may influence future efforts within other parts of the company.
