DeepMind Employees Unionize

Google DeepMind employees in London have voted to form a union, with the core demand being to stop the flow of the company's AI technology being used by the US and Israeli militaries.

Employees sent a letter to Google UK/Ireland management requesting recognition of CWU and Unite as joint representatives of DeepMind staff. Labor representatives explained that unionization is a means to bind Google's AI ethics standards and the uses of its technology back together.

This movement gained momentum after Alphabet removed its commitment banning use for weapons and surveillance from its AI ethics guidelines in February 2025. Since then, some employees at DeepMind and OpenAI have joined an open letter supporting Anthropic's restrictions on military use, and controversy over Google's Pentagon contracts has also grown.

• The NYT reported that Google signed a contract with the US Department of Defense allowing AI use for "any lawful government purpose."
• The US Department of Defense confirmed usage contracts for classified networks with 7 AI companies including Google, SpaceX, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
• Reportedly, about 600 US Google employees also signed a letter protesting the contract.

Google did not respond immediately. If unionization succeeds going forward, the next demands are likely to include withdrawal of the Israeli military contract, greater transparency in AI use, and safeguards against layoffs caused by automation.

If Google does not come to the negotiating table, employees plan to request that the UK's arbitration committee compel recognition.