About 300 London-based workers are trying to join the Communication Workers Union (CWU), sources told the Financial Times, motivated in part by Google’s military contracts and by reports the firm has sold AI tools to the Israeli defence ministry. (Financial Times)

Talking point: A significant share of DeepMind’s workforce of AI researchers and engineers is based in the U.K., where the organization was founded. Google employees have previously staged walkouts over its work on U.S. military drones. Some U.S. workers at parent Alphabet formed a union in January 2021, affiliated with the CWU’s American equivalent. DeepMind staff involved in the British effort told the FT they’re concerned that the Israeli military is using AI they’re developing in the Gaza conflict. Google told the publication that it develops and deploys the technology responsibly and that some of its employees have long been members of unions and other representative groups.