Employees at Google‘s AI lab DeepMind in the UK have requested official recognition of two of their unions. The demand comes as concern grows over the company’s technology being used by the US and Israeli militaries. Workers requested recognition of the Communication Workers Union and Unite in a letter to management shared by the CWU. This comes after the Pentagon recently announced an agreement with Google and six other AI companies to deploy their technology on classified military networks.The list of demands from the unionising Google employees include “restoring a scrapped commitment not to make AI weapons or surveillance tools”. The letter gives management 10 working days to voluntarily recognise the unions, or organisers would take formal legal proceedings.“Google staff worry how the technology will be used given the deal could reportedly open the door to autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of Americans,” the CWU said.Here’s the letter as it appears on United Tech & Allied Workers websiteWe demand that Google takes immediate action to protect the integrity of its AI technologies and commits to a future where the company prioritizes human rights over militarization and surveillance. Google has long been a leader in technological innovation, but it is now crucial that the company aligns its work with ethical principles that protect humanity and the global community. We call on Google to uphold and strengthen its AI Principles to ensure that its technology is not used for harm or to facilitate violence.We recognise our company’s complicity in the Gaza genocide and increasing involvement in unethical contracts. We therefore fully support our UCL colleagues’ campaign to boycott and divest from GDM.Our Demands1) Strengthen Google’s AI PrinciplesWe call on Google to update its AI Principles to include a clear commitment that Google will not pursue or develop weapons or technologies whose primary purpose is to cause harm or injury to people, or to gather or use information for surveillance that violates internationally accepted human rights standards.Proposed New AI Principle: “We will not pursue weapons, technologies or contracts whose principal purpose, implementation or impact causes harm or directly facilitates injury to people, or gather or use information for surveillance violating internationally accepted norms.”This principle must be upheld, regardless of shifting geopolitical pressures or interests. The commitment to human rights and ethical standards should remain steadfast and unaffected by changing political climates.2) Clear Monitoring and Enforcement ProceduresIn order to hold the company accountable, we urge Google to establish robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms for its AI Principles. This includes:Actionable Accountability: Google should clearly define the consequences for any violations of the AI Principles and ensure these consequences are enforceable across all levels of the company.Proportional Consequences: Violations should be met with significant, proportionate actions, and no employee, regardless of seniority, should be exempt from accountability.3) Independent Oversight and Whistleblower ProtectionsWe call for the establishment of a transparent independent oversight system to ensure compliance with these principles:Independent Ethics Board: Form a body of respected experts in AI ethics, international law, and human rights that can review projects, investigate potential breaches, and issue reports accessible by all FTEs within GDM.4) Transparency and Employee Involvement in Decision-MakingGoogle must lay out the process for how it might change these principles in the future, and how employees and stakeholders can intervene in such changes:Clear Decision-Making Processes: The Responsibility Safety Council (RSC) should provide transparency regarding which projects have been approved or rejected and the rationale behind those decisions.Employee Rights: Employees must be empowered to take action if they notice any shift in the company’s ethical values or principles.5) The Right to AbstainWe demand that Google grant all employees the explicit right to abstain from working on any project that violates their personal moral or ethical standards, without fear of retaliation.Why This Matters:Technology, especially artificial intelligence, holds immense power. As Google continues to push boundaries, we cannot allow that power to be used for harmful purposes such as military applications, surveillance, or other unethical uses. Google’s technology must serve the greater good—advancing human rights, global security, and positive societal outcomes.By supporting this campaign, you are standing up for a future where tech companies, especially Google, operate in a way that prioritizes ethical standards and respects fundamental human rights. We must ensure that Google’s technologies are used for peace, safety, and equality, not for fueling conflict, oppression, or harm.Together, we can hold Google accountable to these principles, shaping the future of technology to protect rather than endanger humanity.6) Negotiation Over Automation of Our RolesAs Google accelerates the development and deployment of AI systems capable of automating tasks currently performed by workers, we demand that the company commits to meaningful negotiation with our union representatives before implementing any such changes that materially affect our roles, workloads, or job security.This must include:Prior Consultation: Google must notify and consult with union representatives at the earliest possible stage when AI automation is being considered for tasks performed by current employees — not after decisions have already been made.Impact Assessments: Any proposed automation must be accompanied by a transparent assessment of its impact on affected workers, including changes to headcount, role scope, required skills, and working conditions.No Unilateral Displacement: Google must not use AI automation as a pretext for unilateral redundancies or role restructuring without first exhausting retraining, redeployment, and negotiated transition options.Ongoing Review: A joint worker-management oversight body must be established to continuously review the deployment of AI automation across Google’s workforce, with union representatives having genuine standing to challenge or delay harmful implementations.Google workers build and maintain the AI that powers all of Google’s products. We must not be excluded from decisions about how those systems are turned on us. The future of work at Google must be negotiated — not imposed.7) Clean Energy for AIThe explosive growth of AI is driving a surge in energy consumption across Google’s global infrastructure. We demand that Google takes concrete, verifiable action to ensure this expansion does not come at the cost of our planet.We call on Google to commit to the following:No AI Powered by Oil/ Gas. Google must publish a credible, public plan that includes:Round-the-Clock Renewable Power: All data centres must be powered by 100% additional, locally-sourced renewable energy on a 24/7 basis — not offset by credits purchased elsewhere or averaged across the year.End Contracts That Accelerate Fossil Fuel Extraction: Google must cease developing or providing custom AI solutions for oil and gas companies whose purpose is to identify new reserves or accelerate drilling operations. Building the tools of climate destruction is incompatible with any genuine commitment to sustainability.A Climate Roadmap: Google must publish a detailed glidepath for meeting its climate commitments — one grounded in peer-reviewed science, independently verified, and with enforceable milestones. Vague net-zero pledges are not enough.AI must cease to be an accelerant for the climate crisis. As workers at the heart of this technology, we refuse to be complicit in building systems that consume vast natural resources without accountability. Google has the means to lead on clean energy — we demand it uses them.
