Staff at Google DeepMind’s London offices have initiated steps to unionise, aiming to secure formal representation through the Communication Workers Union (CWU). Approximately 300 employees are reported to have been involved in discussions over recent weeks, according to reporting by the Financial Times citing people familiar with the matter.
The effort comes amid growing concerns over the company’s provision of AI and cloud technologies to defence groups linked to the Israeli government. Union organisers are understood to be framing their campaign around broader issues of transparency, workplace rights, and ethical oversight.
The reported unrest at DeepMind is the latest example of employee activism across Google’s global operations. In the past year, tensions have risen following revelations that Google has supplied cloud services to Israel’s Ministry of Defence under a contract known as Project Nimbus. The controversy culminated in the dismissal of some staff members who had participated in protests against the company’s activities.
Efforts to unionise at DeepMind are being closely watched across the technology sector, where employee demands for ethical accountability and workplace rights have been mounting. In the wider Alphabet group, which owns both Google and DeepMind, staff have previously organised around similar issues. In 2021, workers at Google and other Alphabet subsidiaries formed the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) in the US, though it operates as a minority or solidarity union without collective bargaining rights.
The AWU’s formation marked a shift in the traditionally non-unionised technology industry, with staff citing concerns over ethical use of technology, retaliation against whistleblowers, and the lack of employee input on major company decisions. Although the AWU has not achieved formal collective bargaining status, it has amplified calls for more direct employee influence within Alphabet’s businesses.
DeepMind’s changing structure raises staff concerns
DeepMind, founded in 2010 and acquired by Google in 2014, has long positioned itself as a leader in developing ethical AI systems. However, a shift in corporate governance since the full absorption of DeepMind’s ethics unit into Google’s broader operations in 2021 has reportedly caused unease among parts of its workforce.
Staff seeking unionisation have expressed concerns that AI technologies developed by DeepMind could be deployed for military purposes without adequate ethical review. An engineer involved in the efforts was quoted by the Financial Times as saying that “staff are increasingly uncomfortable with the potential military applications of their work.”
The Communication Workers Union, traditionally associated with the postal and telecoms sectors, has recently expanded its activities into technology, finance, and media sectors.
Should a formal recognition process begin at DeepMind, union organisers would require a majority vote among the company’s roughly 2,000 UK employees. Organisers have indicated that if management does not engage meaningfully with staff concerns, industrial action could be considered as a last resort.
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