An AI engineer has taken Google to a UK employment tribunal for alleged unfair dismissal after protesting against the company’s work linked to the Israeli government.
The engineer distributed flyers inside Google DeepMind’s London office where he accused the company of providing “military AI” to forces “committing genocide,” The Guardian reported.
The pamphlets also asked colleagues: “Is your paycheck worth this?” He later sent emails to employees that criticised Google’s decision in 2025 to remove a commitment that barred the company from developing AI for weapons and surveillance that violate international norms.
The employee claimed that his actions amounted to whistleblowing and said Google discriminated against his belief that people should not be complicit in war crimes. He alleged that he lost his job in September after meetings with a manager though he denied resigning voluntarily as the company concluded.
Google DeepMind rejected the allegations. As per the report, a company spokesperson said the account “does not accurately reflect the facts.”
The engineer, who is of Palestinian heritage, told The Guardian that working at a leading AI research lab had once been “a childhood dream.” But he said his view changed as Google entered into more deals.
“You were going in every day and you feel like you are, you’re betraying humanity and your people,” he said.
The engineer had also encouraged colleagues to join the United Tech and Allied Workers union, part of the Communication Workers Union. Google’s position, according to the report, is that employees are not dismissed for expressing opinions or participating in discussions in line with company policy.
The case comes amid wider unrest among Google employees over the company’s AI contracts involving defence and intelligence work. One DeepMind insider told The Guardian that changes to Google’s AI principles last year had increased concern among staff.
“I know of at least 10 people who have quit as a matter of principle,” the person said and added that many early AI researchers had joined the field believing the technology would “benefit humanity.”
Google and Amazon have previously faced protests over a reported $1.2 billion cloud computing agreement with the Israeli government. Israeli officials had said during the Gaza conflict that advanced technology had helped “phenomenal things happen in combat.”
Last month, hundreds of Google employees reportedly urged the company to stop allowing its AI to be used for classified US defence projects. But Google later entered into an AI agreement with the Pentagon.
Rosa Curling of tech justice group Foxglove, which is supporting the engineer’s case, said the employee had attempted to challenge Google’s shift away from earlier ethical AI commitments.
