Google has agreed to negotiate with staff at its artificial intelligence (AI) research lab over calls for a workplace trade union amid concerns about their work being used in the development of weapons.
Formal discussions will begin after Google rejected a request for union recognition for UK-based Google DeepMind workers.
Members of its management team will now enter into negotiations with workers’ representatives via mediation body the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
It is expected that discussions will lead to a formal ballot later this year for employees to vote over whether to unionise.
If it went ahead it would mark a first for Google, which does not currently have a recognised trade union within the UK business or at DeepMind.
John Chadfield, national officer for technology for the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which sent a letter to Google UK’s boss Debbie Weinstein earlier this month, said “unprecedented numbers of Google DeepMind workers have expressed concerns over the direction of their work by joining their union” in recent months.
The CWU asked for recognition on a joint basis with trade union Unite to conduct collective bargaining relating to pay, hours and holidays.
The company was given 10 working days to either agree the request for recognition, the bargaining unit or to meaningfully negotiate.
It is understood that issues such as business strategy and corporate governance are out of scope for collective bargaining.
A spokeswoman for Google said: “We’ve declined the unions’ request for voluntary recognition to bargain collectively on pay, hours and holiday, but we have offered to meet via Acas, which is a standard next step.
“We continue to value the constructive and direct dialogue that we have with our employees about building a positive and successful workplace.”
The CWU said the calls to have a recognised trade union stemmed from concerns that the company was allowing workers’ skills and technology to be used by Israel and the US military.
It said some DeepMind staff were worried that its AI models could be used for weaponry and surveillance tools that violate international law.
Google says one of its guiding principles is that the benefits of its work must outweigh the potential risks and costs, which are considered when entering into contracts with governments around the world.
It has also committed to a belief that AI should not be used without appropriate human oversight.
