Workers at Google DeepMind in the UK have voted to unionize, partly due to concerns over a recent deal between Google and the US military. The vote, which took place in April, was revealed in a letter to management shared exclusively with the Guardian. The workers are seeking recognition of the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union as their joint representatives.
One worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cited the US's 'capricious Iran war' and the Trump administration's feud with Anthropic as reasons for distrusting the Pentagon. Another worker expressed unease over Google's provision of AI tools to the Israeli military, saying, 'Our technology helped the IDF. I want AI to benefit humanity, not to facilitate a genocide.'
Google disputed the claim that a vote had occurred, stating in a statement: 'Google UK recently received a letter from Unite and the Communications Workers Union requesting recognition for Google DeepMind UK employees. At this stage in the process, there has been no vote to unionise.' However, a union official confirmed the vote and said a separate ballot for recognition might follow if the company refuses voluntary recognition.
The unionization effort is driven by long-standing concerns among workers and investors, which escalated after Google dropped a pledge not to develop militarized AI last year. The Pentagon announced on Friday that it had reached agreements with seven leading AI companies, including Google, to accelerate the transformation of the US military into an 'AI-first fighting force.'
Google's contract with the Pentagon includes non-binding language that the AI system should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without human oversight. However, the agreement also states that Google has no right to control or veto 'lawful' government operational decisions. If recognized, the union would represent at least 1,000 workers at Google DeepMind, which is headquartered in London.
