Source: Fortune
Summary
Google’s UK-based DeepMind workers are attempting to form a union, which would be the first at a frontier AI lab. The move comes after Google agreed to a deal with the Pentagon to use its Gemini AI models for “any lawful purpose,” sparking internal backlash over the company’s military contracts. The workers are seeking to end Google AI being used by the US Department of Defense and the Israeli military, and are requesting an independent ethics oversight body and the right to refuse to contribute to projects on moral grounds.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story. Google’s DeepMind workers are unionizing to push back against the company’s military contracts, which have sparked internal protests and criticism. The workers are seeking to restore leverage they once had, which has eroded due to cost-cutting and layoffs. The union attempt is part of a wider campaign against Google’s military contracts, which includes in-person protests and research strikes. The workers are asking for an independent ethics oversight body and the right to refuse to contribute to projects on moral grounds. The move is an attempt to claw back some of the leverage Google employees have enjoyed in the past.
It sounds like Google’s values are being put to the test.
Author: Evan Null
