Around 300 employees at Google DeepMind in London are attempting to unionize in response to the company’s involvement with the Israeli government and its role in supplying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to defense organizations. This effort comes after Google’s decision to reverse its previous commitment to avoid AI applications for weapons and surveillance, a shift that has sparked concerns among workers.
The employees, who are part of the AI division at DeepMind, are voicing their concerns over the potential use of their work in ongoing conflicts, particularly in Gaza. One engineer involved in the unionization efforts explained that they suspect their advanced AI technologies are being used in warfare. “People don’t want their work used like this,” the engineer said, highlighting the ethical dilemma many staff members face.
The unionization push follows a growing backlash against Google’s collaboration with the Israeli military. Reports reveal that the Israeli government has a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with Google and Amazon under Project Nimbus, which has been controversial among workers. Some of these employees have explicitly linked their work to military applications, deepening their discomfort with the company’s role in the conflict.
In fact, the pressure has been building within the company. Five DeepMind employees have reportedly resigned in recent months due to the company’s involvement with Israel. Correspondence shared with the Financial Times revealed that the majority of the unionization push is motivated by the desire to cut ties with defense-related projects, particularly those connected to the Israeli government.
Google’s AI division, which employs approximately 2,000 staff members, will need to recognize the union if the employees’ demands are to be heard. According to one worker, should the union be recognized, the first step would be to request a meeting with management to discuss ending defense-related contracts. If the company does not respond to these requests, workers may consider taking strike action.
The unionization movement follows a similar pattern of internal protests at Google. In 2018, thousands of employees signed a petition against Project Maven, a contract with the US military to enhance drone strike capabilities using AI. Following this protest, Google did not renew its contract with the Pentagon and pledged to avoid using AI for military purposes.
Despite the ongoing protests and internal unrest, a Google spokesperson reiterated that the company still adheres to its AI principles. However, they acknowledged that the landscape has changed since its 2018 pledge against the use of AI in military applications.
