Google DeepMind Engineer Resigns Over Military AI Contracts

Sofia Liguori, working as a research engineer at the Google DeepMind lab in London, resigned in October 2026 in protest of the company's military contracts with the U.S. Pentagon and the Israeli military. Liguori stated that the use of artificial intelligence in warfare for targeting systems and under projects like Project Nimbus increases the severity of war, expressing her moral opposition to this situation.

Sofia Liguori, an Italian national who joined Google DeepMind in 2023, had staged an individual walkout in April 2026 following the announcement of the classified military AI contract with the Pentagon. In her resignation letter urging colleagues to "remain human," Liguori warned that the development of agentic AI would be an unambiguous evil. The engineer, who participated in unionization and internal activism during her time at the company, stated that her concerns regarding the ethical consequences of military projects were suppressed by Google management or met with bureaucratic responses. Liguori reported that internal communications containing the word "genocide" were deleted on the grounds of policy violations.

Google spokesperson Tom Hewett responded to the criticism by emphasizing that the company follows a rigorous process to review public sector contracts, adhering to AI principles and acceptable use policies. Hewett noted that dedicated channels are provided for employees to safely raise concerns. Liguori, arguing that these channels are ineffective, stated that she made the decision to leave the company to avoid complicity in war technologies.