## DeepMind UK Staff Eye Unionization Over Ethical AI Concerns
Around 300 London-based employees of Google’s AI powerhouse, DeepMind, are reportedly taking steps towards unionization. According to a report in the Financial Times, the team is seeking representation by the Communication Workers Union, citing growing discontent over Google’s ethical stances on AI development and its business dealings.
The move stems from concerns surrounding Google’s recent decision to remove a public pledge against utilizing AI for weapons or surveillance technologies. This, coupled with worries about the company’s involvement with the Israeli military, including a significant $1.2 billion cloud computing contract, has fueled a sense of unease among the DeepMind team. These concerns mirror previous protests within Google, highlighting the sensitive ethical considerations surrounding AI development.
Sources speaking to the Financial Times revealed that some team members feel “duped” by these developments. The report also indicates that at least five DeepMind employees have resigned, explicitly citing these ethical dilemmas as the reason for their departure. DeepMind employs approximately 2,000 individuals in the United Kingdom, signifying that the unionization effort represents a significant portion of the workforce.
In response to the report, a Google spokesperson told the FT that the company encourages “constructive and open dialogue with all of our employees.”
This isn’t the first unionization attempt within Google and its parent company, Alphabet. Back in 2021, a smaller group of around 200 employees formed a union. However, its limited size meant it lacked the collective bargaining power to significantly influence company policy. Whether this new effort by a larger segment of the DeepMind team will achieve different results remains to be seen, but it underscores the growing employee activism around the ethical implications of AI development and deployment within major tech companies.
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