Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.
On Tuesday, May 5, Google AI workers in the U.K. launched a unionization bid, as part of an attempt to end the use of their technology by Israel and the U.S. military.
Workers at Google DeepMind — Google’s AI research laboratory, based in London — sent a letter to management Tuesday requesting recognition of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite the Union as official representatives of their staff.
The decision to unionize followed a deal between Google and the Pentagon that sparked internal backlash. Last week, Google agreed to let the U.S. Department of Defense use its AI models in classified military networks for “any lawful government purpose.”
This comes as the U.S. government continues to work to secure contracts with major AI firms for use by the U.S. military, with controversies erupting over how the technologies will be used. In late February, the Trump administration ordered all government agencies to cease using Anthropic, an AI firm that focuses on AI safety, after the company refused to lift safety restrictions on the military’s use of its AI. The Pentagon had said that it would use Anthropic’s technology for “any lawful purpose,” and the company expressed concerns that its AI would be used for unmanned weapons or mass surveillance. Anthropic raised these concerns after the U.S. military used its technology in its raid in Venezuela to capture former President Nicolás Maduro. However, the company has since then met with the White House, aiming for a compromise to continue to work with the government, particularly with its new intelligence model, Mythos.
It is unclear if Google’s latest agreement with the Pentagon includes any restrictions on its use by the military.
In 2018, Google signed a similar contract to help the Pentagon use AI to analyze drone surveillance, which led to hundreds of employees signing an open letter in protest of the deal, and employee resignations that pushed Google not to renew the contract. This collective action deterred Google from making other deals with the Pentagon — until now.
This year, a similar petition with 600 employee signatures opposing the contract and expressing concerns on how the military would use the AI did not lead to its reversal. Instead, Google doubled down, declaring that it is “proud” to be “providing AI services and infrastructure in support of national security.” Workers found that the leverage that worked in 2018 no longer had the same effect, requiring a new level of organizing: unionizing.
The vote to unionize at Google DeepMind marks the first time employees at a major AI research lab have collectively organized in opposition to a military contract, suggesting a growing possibility of organized pushback against military use of AI.
“This is a really important moment for workers in the tech sector,” CWU national tech workers officer John Chadfield told Truthout.
“For the first time, employees at Google’s frontier AI lab are connecting with some of the most oppressed people across the world in a meaningful way, and based on the values of solidarity,” he went on, referring to workers who had called for an end to Israel’s use of the company’s technology in its genocide in Gaza. “By exercising their rights to collectivise, they are in a strong position to demand that their employer stops circling the ethical drain of military-industrial contracts.”
DeepMind staff globally are considering other tactics, like protests and “research strikes” — refusing to work on certain projects — to achieve their demand against making military contracts.
“The decision of Google DeepMind workers to seek union recognition is an historic one,” CWU’s general secretary, Dave Ward, told Truthout. “When artificial intelligence is developed without any accountability over its direction or purpose, it is bad for society as a whole — not for just the workers involved.”
“These conscientious workers demanding greater say over what they produce with their considerable skills are acting in the tradition of all those who have fought for workers’ rights before them,” he continued. “I hope that Google’s leadership will see the demand for voluntary recognition as a positive step for employees, and welcome the presence of the Communication Workers Union.”
Media that fights fascism
Truthout is funded almost entirely by readers — that’s why we can speak truth to power and cut against the mainstream narrative. But independent journalists at Truthout face mounting political repression under Trump.
We rely on your support to survive McCarthyist censorship. Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation.