In an action that took place last Thursday, the 16th, Google employees presented a petition to the company's administration, headquartered in California, United States. The document was formally delivered to Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai.
In an action that took place last Thursday, the 16th, Google employees presented a petition to the company's administration, headquartered in California, United States. The document was formally delivered to Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai.
This initiative was coordinated by the Alphabet Workers Union and received support from over 4,500 employee signatures. The workers are demanding the implementation of several protective measures, such as guaranteed compensation, the option for voluntary separation before mandatory cuts, and changes to the internal evaluation method.
The mobilization comes amid a trend of workforce reductions in large technology corporations, parallel to the increased investments these same companies are making in artificial intelligence. Employees fear that the incorporation of these technologies could be used as justification for new layoffs.
Union representatives argue that the current situation does not stem from the company's financial problems but rather from a management decision focused on profit maximization. Parul Koul, a Google software engineer and leader of the Alphabet Workers Union, emphasized during a protest in front of the headquarters that the company is undergoing a period of great economic valuation.
Koul stated in an interview given during the event: 'These layoffs and cuts are not difficult decisions, but simply profit being placed above the people who make this company run.' The petition demands that Google provide exit packages before imposing mandatory layoffs in any product segment. Furthermore, the workers advocate for converting compensation into extended periods of paid leave and question performance reviews based solely on achieving quantitative goals.
According to the movement's organizers, the delivery of the document did not receive an immediate response from top management. Koul reported that the employees encountered closed doors and left the petition with a member of Pichai's office team, who promised to pass the material on to the executive.
The protest also served to revive criticisms regarding the layoffs carried out by Google in 2023, with participants expressing disapproval of the company's conduct.
The pressure from employees accompanies a trend of workforce reduction in technology companies that link parts of their future strategies to the development of artificial intelligence. Although Google recently reduced its staff while increasing spending in the area, the company has not confirmed whether AI was a direct factor in these layoffs.
Other companies in the sector are also involved in this debate. Meta was the subject of a lawsuit filed by employees who allege that AI tools were used to classify who would be affected by the cuts. Meta refuted these allegations, stating they were unfounded. Oracle, Block, and Microsoft were also mentioned in the context of cuts and AI investments. Oracle mentioned in its annual report that the adoption of these technologies could continue to generate decreases in the workforce; Block associated cuts with the search for greater efficiency; and Microsoft announced job reductions concurrently with increased investment in AI.
The Alphabet Workers Union had previously secured the offer of voluntary separation packages for over 70,000 workers, but representatives indicate that other demands are still awaiting a response.
Dan Freedman, a Google software engineer and union member, shared his apprehension about the impact of artificial intelligence on his own role. He, who uses AI tools for designers, began to fear for his job security after the technology integrated into work requirements. Freedman declared during a press conference organized by the workers: 'I have to ask myself if I am next.'
Google users risk contributing, unknowingly, to the company's artificial intelligence training due to a recent update in privacy settings that has made the process clearer and more extensive.
As reported by TechCrunch, Google has begun incorporating new types of information into this training process, including multimedia content such as videos, audio, and images. This change was communicated to users via email in June and directly affects how activity history is managed across Google services.
The scope of this collection extends beyond traditional searches; any interaction within the Google ecosystem can feed the data stream intended for improving AI systems. Affected services include Google Lens (used for image, photo, and camera search), Google Maps and location tools, Google Translate, Google Shopping, and News, in addition to voice searches performed in the Google app.
To manage this situation, Google introduced two new control options: 'Search Services History' and 'Personalized Recommendations,' which determine how data will be stored and used to customize the user experience. A notable aspect is that the inclusion is not limited to simple texts or histories, but also encompasses photos, videos, and audio recordings.
A practical example is an image sent via Lens or a voice query, which can be saved and reused in AI development. TechCrunch points out that this trend reflects a larger movement in the sector, where corporations use real user data to power artificial intelligence models.
Despite the modification, Google maintained the available control functionalities, allowing users to adjust or disable parts of this usage directly in account settings. It is possible to define the data storage period and restrict the use of media for training purposes.
Recommended actions include: disabling the 'Save Media' option in search settings, which prevents the storage and use of photos, videos, and audio in AI training; adjusting 'Search Services History' to reduce the use of activities in system personalization and training; controlling the data retention time to limit the collected volume; managing 'Web & App Activity' separately; and disabling 'Personalized Recommendations' to prevent user behavior from influencing AI suggestions and improvements.
Additionally, Google restructured its settings, separating search history from other activities, which alters the dynamic of privacy control. Although the goal is to improve AI models with real usage data, there is a crucial point: many users may not notice this change. Data collection is not new, but it has become broader, more integrated into daily life, and simultaneously, less perceptible.
