Employees at Google DeepMind’s UK offices have voted to establish a union in response to concerns about the company’s defense-related AI work with Israel and the Pentagon.
Business Insider reports that workers at Google DeepMind’s UK facilities have taken steps to unionize, marking what could become the first labor union at a frontier AI laboratory. The unionization effort stems from employee concerns regarding the company’s military contracts and defense partnerships.
In a letter delivered to management, employees from the DeepMind division formally requested recognition of the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union as their representatives. The document was obtained and reviewed by Business Insider.
The unionization drive follows closely on the heels of a Pentagon announcement confirming contracts with Google and several other AI companies for classified military projects. Workers opposing these agreements have expressed concerns that such arrangements could enable the use of Google’s technology for autonomous weapons systems and widespread surveillance of American citizens.
Some Google employees voiced apprehension that the company would lack the ability to enforce limitations on classified operations conducted by military partners. Breitbart News previously reported one researcher went public to say he was “incredibly ashamed” that Google would work with the Pentagon.
If the unionization effort succeeds, it would represent at least 1,000 employees connected to Google DeepMind’s London office, according to a representative for the organizing campaign. DeepMind maintains its headquarters in London’s King’s Cross area, though the unit employs approximately 6,000 people across the United States and other European locations.
The union formation is part of a broader employee campaign that includes potential in-person protests and what organizers describe as “research strikes,” where workers would refuse to participate in developing the company’s core AI products, according to a press release from union representatives.
The unionization letter establishes a deadline of 10 working days for Google DeepMind management to voluntarily recognize the Communication Workers Union and Unite. If management declines to provide voluntary recognition, the letter indicates that organizers may pursue alternative steps such as mediation or initiate legal proceedings to obtain formal recognition.
The clash between conservatives and leftist Silicon Valley giants that have built empires on their anti-military attitudes and resistance to supporting our warfighters is one of the primary themes of the instant bestseller by Breitbart News Social Media Director Wynton Hall, Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, praised CODE RED as a “must-read.” She added: “Few understand our conservative fight against Big Tech as Hall does,” making him “uniquely qualified to examine how we can best utilize AI’s enormous potential, while ensuring it does not exploit kids, creators, and conservatives.” Award-winning investigative journalist and Public founder Michael Shellenberger calls CODE RED “illuminating,” ”alarming,” and describes the book as “an essential conversation-starter for those hoping to subvert Big Tech’s autocratic plans before it’s too late.”
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.