Google DeepMind workers in union recognition bid
Google A.I. workers in pioneering union bid over Israel & U.S. military tech use.
98% of Google DeepMind members vote YES.
Scores of Google AI workers have launched an unprecedented unionisation bid to end use of their technology by Israel and the US military.
The UK-based Google DeepMind employees – who aim to become the first frontier artificial intelligence lab worldwide to unionise – sent a letter on Tuesday requesting management recognise the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite the Union as their official representatives.
“This is a really important moment where tech workers at Google's frontier AI lab are connecting with some of the most oppressed people in communities around the world in meaningful ways, based on foundational values of solidarity and trade unionism.” “By exercising their rights to collectivise they are in a strong position to demand their employer stop circling the ethical drain of military-industrial contracts, echoing the sentiment of many working people in the UK and elsewhere.”
Google employees have for years protested the ethics of contracts like Project Nimbus, a joint programme with Amazon making cloud computing and AI tools available to Israel, including amid the Gaza genocide. Maven, a US government project from which Google withdrew in 2019 after staff uproar, has reportedly been used in targeting in the Iran war.
The unionising DeepMind workers are seeking an end to use of Google AI by Israel and the US military. Their demands also include restoring a scrapped commitment not to make AI weapons or surveillance tools, the creation of an independent ethics oversight body, and the individual right to refuse to contribute to projects on moral grounds.
“We don’t want our AI models to assist in violations of international law, but they already are aiding Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.” “Even if our work is only used for administrative purposes, as leadership has repeatedly told us, it is still helping make genocide cheaper, faster, and more efficient. That must end immediately, as must harm to Iranians and human lives anywhere.”
Google recently agreed to let the US Department of Defense use its AI models for classified work, a move opposed by over 600 employees. Google staff worry how the technology will be used given the Pentagon imposed restrictions on competitor Anthropic over its refusal to permit use of AI system Claude in fully autonomous deadly weapons or domestic mass surveillance.
The British unionisation push is part of a wider campaign. DeepMind employees globally are considering in-person protests and “research strikes”, where they abstain from work expected to significantly improve core products such as the Gemini AI assistant.
The unionisation bid would secure representation on pay, hours, and holidays for at least 1,000 staff tied to Google DeepMind’s London office. The employees’ letter gave management 10 working days to voluntarily recognise the CWU and Unite, or take other steps like agreeing to mediated negotiations, before the matter is escalated to a formal legal process to force recognition.
“I hope that recourse to the statutory procedure will not prove necessary.” “We look forward to working with you in a spirit of co-operation on behalf of the workforce.”
“When artificial intelligence is developed without any accountability over its direction or purpose, it is bad for society as a whole – not for just the workers involved. “These conscientious workers demanding greater say over what they produce with their considerable skills are acting in the tradition of all those who have fought for workers’ rights before them.””
WIRED — Google DeepMind Workers Vote to Unionize Over Military AI Deals
The Guardian — Google DeepMind workers in UK vote to unionize amid deal with US military
The Verge — Google DeepMind workers are unionizing over AI military contracts
Business Insider — UK Google DeepMind employees vote to unionize over its AI defense deals
