Workers at Google DeepMind's UK office have launched a landmark bid to unionise, citing deep concerns over the company's expanding military contracts and what they describe as a retreat from the ethical principles it publicly championed for two decades.
The move, backed by an overwhelming majority of union members already affiliated with the Communication Workers Union, places Google at the centre of a growing confrontation between Silicon Valley's AI ambitions and the conscience of the workforce building them.
What Triggered the Unionisation Bid at Google DeepMind?
The immediate catalyst was a deal Google struck with the US Department of Defense last Friday, agreeing to allow its Gemini AI models to be used inside classified military networks for “any lawful purpose.”
Critics, including many within Google itself, argue the agreement contains few enforceable limits and could open pathways to autonomous weapons development and mass surveillance of American citizens.
Google is not alone in having signed such arrangements. OpenAI, xAI, Nvidia, Microsoft and Amazon have all agreed to comparable contracts.
Anthropic has refused, a decision that prompted the Pentagon to order the military and all defence contractors to cease using its products, labelling the company a "supply chain risk" -- a designation Anthropic is currently challenging in court.
Within Google, the backlash has been substantial. More than 600 employees signed an open letter on Tuesday opposing the Pentagon deal, with several others speaking out publicly in the press and on social media.
How the Unionisation Vote Unfolded
The Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union are jointly seeking formal recognition to represent approximately 1,000 staff at Google DeepMind's London office. In a vote held among CWU members already at DeepMind, 98% backed the bid.
Workers have formally written to management requesting union recognition, with a 10-working-day deadline to either voluntarily accept the request or agree to mediated negotiations; failing which, a legal process to compel recognition will be initiated.
No Vote Has Been Held to Unionise
A spokesperson for Google DeepMind was quoted by Fortune, "Google UK recently received a letter from Unite and the Communications Workers Union requesting recognition for Google DeepMind UK employees.
At this stage in the process, there has been no vote to unionise. We have always valued constructive dialogue with employees, and we'll remain focused on creating a positive and successful workplace."
The spokesperson added that the CWU request represented standard process and was at a very early stage, confirming that there is no recognised union at Google DeepMind or Google UK yet.
What Google DeepMind Workers Are Demanding
Beyond formal recognition, the employees have set out a series of specific demands. Chief among them is an end to Google AI being used by the US Department of Defense and the Israeli military.
Workers are also requesting the reinstatement of a company commitment, originally published in 2018 following employee protests over Project Maven, that Google would not develop AI for weapons or surveillance, violating internationally accepted norms. That commitment was quietly removed from Google's public website in February 2025.
Additional demands include establishing an independent ethics oversight body and the individual right for employees to refuse to work on projects they find morally objectionable.
A Wider Campaign Against Google's Military Contracts
The unionisation bid sits within a broader campaign, the CWU says, which includes in-person protests and research strikes, with employees threatening to abstain from work on core products including the Gemini AI assistant.
One Google DeepMind employee with knowledge of the union bid, who requested anonymity to speak freely about their employer, told Fortune: "Hopefully this will help employees help the DeepMind and Google leadership grow a spine when it comes to standing up to what they have preached and publicly endorsed as our values and principles for the last two decades."
The Lessons of Project Maven and the Erosion of Worker Leverage
The effort draws directly on the memory of 2018, when thousands of Google employees signed a petition, and several resigned in protest over Project Maven, a Pentagon contract to apply AI to drone footage analysis.
The internal pressure ultimately forced Google to abandon that contract, demonstrating the power employees could wield when organised.
That leverage, however, has since diminished. Cost-cutting measures, surging AI investment and widespread layoffs across the technology sector have collectively weakened the bargaining position of workers throughout the industry.
