An AI engineer has accused Google of retaliation after he was dismissed from its DeepMind London office following internal protests over the company's work linked to the Israel–Gaza conflict, according to a claim lodged with an employment tribunal in the UK.
The worker was reportedly sacked after distributing leaflets and emailing colleagues criticising the company's military AI-related contracts.
Google DeepMind has expanded rapidly into government-facing AI work in recent years, including partnerships that have drawn scrutiny from staff concerned about military applications of emerging technologies.
Google Retaliation Allegations After Employee Protest
According to the claim cited by The Guardian, the engineer distributed flyers across Google DeepMind's London offices stating 'Google provides military AI to forces committing genocide' and asking colleagues, 'Is your paycheck worth this?'. He also sent emails referencing Google's 2025 decision to remove a previous commitment not to develop weapons or surveillance tools that could violate international norms, urging staff to consider unionisation.
The worker, who is of Palestinian heritage and has requested anonymity, told The Guardian the role had once felt like a long-held ambition before his views changed as the company's commercial and government partnerships expanded. He described feeling conflicted about his work, saying he felt he was 'betraying humanity and your people,' according to his account reported by the newspaper.
His legal claim argues that he was discriminated against for holding protected beliefs and that his actions amounted to whistleblowing. It further alleges that after meetings with human resources, he was effectively removed from his role in September, although he disputes Google's position that he had resigned.
Google DeepMind has rejected the allegations. A spokesperson said the account 'does not accurately reflect the facts,' without providing further detail on the specific claims.
Military AI Concerns Among Google Employees
According to accounts from within Google's AI division DeepMind, internal unease grew after changes were made to the company's AI principles in 2025. Some employees described a shift in mood, saying that early optimism about building technology for humanitarian benefit had weakened as more government and defence contracts were introduced.
Another staff member, speaking anonymously, said the concern was not necessarily about military use in every case, but about the possibility that AI systems could be misused or placed in the hands of governments or actors seen as undermining democratic standards. They warned that advanced AI could strengthen authoritarian systems, including in countries that present themselves as democratic.
In 2021, Google and Amazon signed a $1.2bn (around £950 million) deal called Project Nimbus to provide cloud computing and AI services to Israeli government ministries, including infrastructure that can be accessed by parts of the state system. That includes public-sector use such as transport, health and finance, but reporting shows the system has also involved defence-linked users and has raised internal concerns inside Google itself about potential military or surveillance applications.
Investigations and internal documents suggest Israeli defence and intelligence bodies have had access to or interest in these tools, particularly after 2023, though companies including Google have repeatedly said the contract is not designed for highly sensitive classified military work
As a response, hundreds of Google workers have called for tighter limits on how the company's AI tools are used by the US government, particularly in classified defence work. Their argument is that the technology should be focused on other beneficial uses rather than military applications.
Google, meanwhile, has said it supports responsible deployment of AI and maintains that its policies require human oversight in sensitive cases.
Google Employees Reportedly Organising
The employment tribunal claim also refers to internal workplace organising, including efforts by some staff to encourage colleagues to join the United Tech and Allied Workers union, which is part of the Communication Workers Union. The engineer says his discussions with colleagues about ethical concerns included support for unionisation, which he viewed as part of raising awareness inside the company.
Google has not yet submitted a detailed public response to the tribunal claim, and no formal findings have been made by an employment court. The company has said that it does not punish employees for expressing views or taking part in workplace discussions, provided they remain within company policy.
