First workplace artificial intelligence guide released

Detailed summary

A draft plan for AI adoption in the workplace has been released by the federal government, which says it could stop hundreds of jobs from being slashed.

A best-practice guide for artificial intelligence use in workplaces has the potential to save hundreds of people from being sacked, the employment minister says.

Draft guidelines for AI adoption, released by the federal government on Thursday, call for direct consultation with staff about the technology and its careful implementation.

The voluntary guide is based on months of departmental roundtable talks with unions and employer groups.

Major companies including Microsoft, Commonwealth Bank, Kmart and Telstra were also consulted.

"What's key to (the guide) is trust with the workforce, because it will be up to individual workers whether they embrace AI fully," Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth told ABC Radio National.

But in the same week as the release, Qantas announced it would be moving 850 domestic positions overseas under an outsourcing deal with technology giant Accenture. The decision has been blasted by the government and peak body for workers, the Australian Services Union, which blamed AI for the cuts.

"We need to make sure that these AI announcements and job cuts are genuine and not a Trojan horse for widespread offshoring,” the union's Assistant National Secretary Scott Cowen said earlier this week.

The sacked employees, to be let go from mid-2027, would have benefited from direct consultation on AI implementation, as outlined in the guide, Ms Rishworth said. Workers should have, under a best-practice scenario, been offered alternative roles, she added.

"If AI does change someone's task, job, or role, how do we invest in that individual, because they know the business?" she said.

Opening of the article, excerpted from AAP. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.