DeepMind employees want release from gag clause on criticism

Some Google DeepMind employees in London have employment contracts that prohibit them from speaking disparagingly about Google. The ban also applies after they have left the company. That is according to several news outlets citing a Washington Post report on November 3, 2026.

According to AV Club, the paper based its report on a reviewed employment contract and interviews with two current employees. DeepMind is Google's artificial intelligence division.

A ban with no time limit

The provision is known as a non-disparagement clause, a ban on speaking negatively about one's employer. According to IBTimes UK, it applies with no time limit, including after employment ends.

Research engineer Sofia Liguori in London spoke out against Google's military AI work in a BBC interview, despite the contract's restrictions. According to IBTimes, that prompted current employees to check their own contracts. Of her own situation, she says: "In principle, I'm not allowed to criticize Google for as long as I live."

According to Futurism, dozens of employees took part in an internal message discussion about the wording, after several had found similar provisions in their contracts. IBTimes UK reports that Liguori and senior research scientist Andreas Kirsch went public on October 21, and that a Google executive addressed employees internally on October 30. The timeline comes only from IBTimes UK.

Wanting to be able to warn the public

According to AV Club, employees believe they should be able to inform the public about the risks of the AI they are helping to build. An anonymous DeepMind employee tells Futurism: "The technology is very important and changing quickly. The public wants to know and deserves to know."

The same employee says of the clause's status: "If it can't be enforced, the reason is basically to scare people." Futurism notes that British whistleblowing rules may offer legal protection, but that it remains unclear whether the clauses can be enforced at all.

Google's response

According to IBTimes, Google says it will not enforce the clause against former employees. The terms for new employees have been changed so that the post-employment part has been removed. A spokesperson says: "We have always encouraged open dialogue about safety and responsibility. We recently updated the terms for new employees, including removing the post-employment part of the non-disparagement clauses."

According to IBTimes UK, the change does not cover current employees, and Google has not committed to changing existing contracts. Employees want the provision removed entirely from the contracts already in force.

The sources do not say how many DeepMind employees the clause covers.