Google DeepMind unionization talks stall in first negotiation meeting

Workers at Google DeepMind held their first union negotiation meeting on Wednesday, but union officials said the talks achieved nothing. Employees at the London-based AI research division have been pushing for union recognition since February 2025, after Google removed internal rules that prevented the company from using AI technology for weapons and surveillance.

In May, staff asked Google to formally recognise two unions, the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union. Google refused but agreed to negotiate through an independent arbitrator. However, union representatives were disappointed that no senior DeepMind managers attended Wednesday's meeting, only HR staff. Officials described the session as a waste of time and said the process had already stalled.

DeepMind is considered one of the world's leading artificial intelligence laboratories.