London: Staff members at Google DeepMind in the United Kingdom are reportedly taking steps to unionise in response to concerns over the company’s decision to sell artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to defense groups linked to the Israeli government, according to the Financial Times.
Around 300 employees based in London have been actively seeking to join the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in recent weeks, the report said, citing individuals familiar with the matter.
Neither Google, Google DeepMind, nor the CWU immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment on the development.
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According to the report, employee dissatisfaction has been fueled by media reports suggesting that Google is selling its cloud services and AI technology to the Israeli Ministry of Defence. Google has faced employee unrest over similar issues in the past. Last year, the company dismissed 28 employees who protested against its cloud contract with the Israeli government.
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The situation marks another flashpoint in the ongoing tension between tech giants and their workforce over ethical concerns related to government contracts and military applications of emerging technologies.
