Google DeepMind staff in Britain plan to unionize to challenge the company's decision to sell its artificial intelligence technologies to defense groups with ties to the Israeli government, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
About 300 London-based staff of Google DeepMind have been seeking to join the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in recent weeks, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Google, Google DeepMind, and the CWU did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Media reports that suggest Google is selling its cloud services and AI technology to the Israeli defense ministry have caused disquiet among employees, according to the report.
Israel's use of AI in the Hamas war
The Defense Ministry has a $1.2 billion cloud computing agreement with Google and Amazon, named Project Nimbus, according to the report.
Recent media reports on the IDF's use of AI in targeted assassinations of Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip added fuel to the fire, the report claimed – although it is unclear if the AI being used is purchased from Google.
“We’re putting two and two together and think the technology we’re developing is being used in the conflict [in Gaza],” one engineer involved in the unionisation effort told the FT. “This is basically cutting-edge AI that we’re providing to an ongoing conflict. People don’t want their work used like this.”
“People feel duped,” the person added.
Google has run into trouble previously regarding its connections to Israel when it dismissed 28 employees last year who protested against the tech giant's cloud contract with the Israeli government.
