UK Google DeepMind staff unionise over AI defense contracts
Unionising efforts are part of larger movement by staff who are considering holding physical protests
The team at Google DeepMind in the UK has opted to form a union because of apprehensions relating to the firm's work with the military involving Israel and the Pentagon.
If their efforts succeed, DeepMind — pivotal to Google's AI development strategy — would become the first AI lab to unionise.
In a communication sent to management on Tuesday, viewed by Business Insider, staff within the DeepMind department applied for the acknowledgement of the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union.
This unionising decision comes shortly after the Pentagon confirmed signing agreements with Google and several other AI research facilities for secretive military operations.
Employees voicing concerns about the agreement fear it might pave the way for Google's AI capabilities in autonomous weaponry and widespread surveillance of US citizens.
Previously, several Google staff members expressed to Business Insider their worries over the company possibly failing to maintain boundaries in classified endeavors.
The employees seeking unionisation are also advocating for the termination of a $1.2 billion agreement secured with the Israeli authorities for cloud services back in 2021, as detailed in a statement from union campaigners.
Some staff have expressed their opposition to the contract, known as Project Nimbus. In 2024, 50 employees were dismissed by Google after staging a protest regarding the Nimbus arrangement.
At least 1,000 individuals associated with Google DeepMind's offices in London would benefit if the unionisation is achieved, according to a spokesperson for the initiative.
While DeepMind’s headquarters is located in London’s King’s Cross, a significant number of its employees are based in the US and several European regions. The department is composed of around 6,000 employees globally.
The unionising efforts are part of a larger movement by the staff who are considering holding physical protests and "research strikes" — refraining from their work on the company’s core AI technologies — as mentioned in the press release.