Google’s prized Artificial Intelligence (AI) division is looking to stop its employees in the United Kingdom from working for its competitors by using non-compete agreements.
The non-compete clause bars Google DeepMind staffers in the UK from joining rival AI companies for up to a year, according to a report by Business Insider. This has led to some DeepMind employees being paid by the tech giant despite not working there for the duration of the non-compete agreement.
Generally, an employee who signs a non-compete contract agrees to not work for a competing firm for a certain duration of time. The length of the non-compete clauses at Google DeepMind’s UK office reportedly relies on factors such as the seniority of a DeepMind employee and the importance of their work at the AI research lab, as per the report.
For instance, individual contributors working on Google’s Gemini AI models commonly have six-month-long non-compete agreements while more senior AI researchers are reportedly subject to a year-long stipulation.
The aggressive non-compete agreements at Google DeepMind come at a time when tech companies are rushing to roll out cutting-edge AI models. In the context of the ongoing AI arms race that shows no signs of cooling down, these agreements could help tech companies maintain their competitive edge by retaining their top AI talent.
However, non-compete agreements for most employees were banned in the United States last year by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). But the ban reportedly does not apply to Google DeepMind’s headquarters in London, UK.
AI researchers at DeepMind UK are reportedly upset with the non-compete agreements as they potentially risk being left behind in the AI industry due to the rapid pace at which the technology is evolving.
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“Our employment contracts are in line with market standards. Given the sensitive nature of our work, we use non-competes selectively to protect our legitimate interests,” a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying by Business Insider.
Though, some DeepMind employees have reportedly devised workarounds to the non-compete obligations by looking for jobs in California, US.
