Around 300 DeepMind employees based in London are reportedly pushing to unionize with the Communication Workers Union, according to the Financial Times, which cites three individuals involved in the effort.
The move comes amid growing dissatisfaction among DeepMind staff following Google’s removal of its public commitment to avoid using AI for weapons or surveillance purposes. Concerns have also been raised about Google’s $1.2 billion cloud computing deal with the Israeli military, an agreement that has sparked protests across the company.
One source described staff as feeling “duped” over these developments, with internal communications suggesting at least five DeepMind employees have resigned in response. DeepMind employs approximately 2,000 people across the U.K.
In response, a Google spokesperson told the FT that the company promotes “constructive and open dialogue with all of our employees.”
This isn’t the first time Google workers have sought union representation: a group of around 200 Google and Alphabet employees previously formed a union, although its small size prevented it from securing collective bargaining rights.
