‘Is it legal?': Aussie work expert unpacks Australia's AI job takeover

News.com.au

2 days ago

'AI is coming for your job'.
You've probably been hearing this for months, or even years, but now it's happening.
Many questions remain unanswered – how will it happen? And what are the jobs AIs are already taking?
Associate Professor of employment law at the University of Technology Sydney, Giuseppe Carabetta, has already seen first-hand jobs across all levels of the service industries offloaded to AIs. It's a shift he says has become the 'new outsourcing'.
'From massage therapists' to physios' administrative staff who respond to queries, to large retailers using 'chat lines' run by AI … to other businesses, including smaller ones, replacing or reducing staff with a 'bot' which responds instantaneously when you call to make an appointment.
'At this level, we've had AI for some time without necessarily realising it. '
'At best, the argument is obviously that it makes things more efficient (except when there is a 'communication' or technology breakdown).
'But at worse, it can simply be about cost-cutting or trying to compete not on the basis of technologically driven productivity but savings on the wages bill. In these sectors, it has become, or will become the new outsourcing.'
Analysis from Australian policy organisation the Social Policy Group (SPG) found if Australia maintains its current pace of AI adoption, one third of the workforce could experience a period of unemployment by 2030.
Prof Carabetta said that the extent to which this takeover will take place is still an open ended debate however jobs made up of 'routine tasks' were most at risk.
'Futurists and others predict it will have a major impact on certain types of jobs, particularly those involving routine tasks, customer service, as well as certain white-collar roles,' Prof Carabetta said.
'It may also mean the idea of an 'entry-level' position changes, and the pressure for up or re-skilling increases. Equally though, it's likely to create new work around AI development, data analysis, and the like, as it becomes more integrated into various sectors.'
But surely it won't be legal to just cut workers in favour of an AI right? What about workers rights? Prof Carabetta said that in terms of employment law 'there will be redundancies' and generally speaking 'they will be valid provided the job in question no longer exists'.
'However, we are likely to see targeted policy intervention and pressure from unions regarding the impact of AI on workers as well as targeted initiatives to support workers transitioning or upskilling. EU social partners and unions have started taking the initiative in this area.
'Following a Senate Inquiry last year, our unions led by the ACTU have supported placing a positive or pre-emptive duty on employers to identify and mitigate the risks of AI and establish consultation rights for workers.'
It comes as last week news.com.au broke the story of a team of Sydney medical receptionists that were let go in favour of an AI.
Aussie team of receptionists sacked for AI
Katherine, 24, worked as a medical receptionist at a clinic in the Inner West of Sydney. Four days before Christmas her and three young co-workers were called into a meeting where they were informed their roles were being replaced by AI.
'They basically brought us in and said, 'thank you so much for all your work here, unfortunately we found a system where we can now use AI to put through the phones that will be on hold to a natural computer AI so no one else has to pick up the phone unless they have a free moment,' she told news.com.au.
'It was very organised, but we wouldn't be doing much. So they let go of the four of us,' Katherine said.
Adding insult to the incident management waited until the six-month probation period for new employees was almost up before letting them know just four days before Christmas – then amazingly asked the employees for help setting up the systems that would eventually replace them.
'I remember I called my dad afterwards and I was like 'yikes'.'
'He was livid. He works in tech and he's head of IT for an insurance fund. So he said, 'that's wrong.
If they want AI, they should bring in somebody who actually knows how to code rather than telling people that their job, that is being taken over by AI, is something that they're actually going to have to do themselves'.'
Katherine said the experience had 'absolutely' changed the way she thought of AI but it was something that people were going to have to get used to.
'I'm very aware of how technology is moving and I'm very aware of how fast it's moving,' she said. 

'And AI, unfortunately, is part of our new normal. You speak to anybody at a finance firm and they are all using Chat GPT in their emails. 

'As a society, we need to be learning how to work with it rather than against it because you're not going to get away from this.'