Google DeepMind workers are unionizing over AI military contracts

Source: The Verge

Background

Staffers at Google DeepMind’s headquarters have voted to unionize in an effort to prevent the AI firm’s technology from being used by Israel and the U.S. military.

Union Vote

In a letter to Google management, employees requested that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite the Union be recognized as joint representatives. According to the CWU, 98 percent of CWU members at DeepMind voted in support of the move.

Employee Statement

“We don’t want our AI models complicit in violations of international law, but they already are aiding Israel’s genocide of Palestinians,” an unnamed DeepMind employee said in a statement shared by the CWU. “Even if our work is only used for ad …”

Read the full story at The Verge.