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News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Deep analysis reveals AI's impact on Australian tech jobs
Detailed analysis of critical Australian IT jobs shows artificial intelligence will not make these roles obsolete but rather allow workers to do more of their existing complex tasks. Education behemoth Pearson has analysed the work of Australian software developers, computer systems analysts and network architects, finding these workers will save between 4.5 to seven hours a week in five years' time with effective use of technology. Pearson Asia Pacific executive Craig McFarlane told NewsWire that jobs needed to be 'redesigned'. 'We can't afford to keep chasing talent externally. The real opportunity lies in rethinking the structure of roles so we can unlock the capacity we already have,' he said. 'AI is creating space – time that we can reinvest in upskilling, creativity and innovation.' The research modelled the future impact of 34 emerging technology types on 76,600 granular tasks. The five-year impact is based on the projected adoption rates in Australia's IT industry that are already under way. Workers in five high-value tech roles saved between 4.5 and 7 hours a week, based on the analysis. 'That's nearly a day each week that can be reinvested into strategic, creative, or growth-focused work,' Mr McFarlane said. 'By starting the process of role redesign now, businesses can close skills gaps faster, improve retention and strengthen their competitiveness, all while preparing their workforce for the future.' The researchers are confident the use of AI will not make these workers obsolete, instead just automate repetitive and routine tasks. 'The roles themselves remain intact; it's the nature of the work within them that evolves,' Mr McFarlane said. 'Businesses can free their people to focus on higher-value activities like strategic planning, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration. 'This is about redeploying talent, not replacing it, and the gains are significant. In some cases, we modelled that teams could double their output without adding headcount.' While this study looked at tech roles, the researchers highlighted other industries making significant use of artificial intelligence and robotic process automation (RPA). Finance and banking are 'leading adopters' of AI and RPA, Mr McFarlane said. Healthcare companies are investing heavily in AI for diagnostics, patient systems, and data analytics. Mining firms have long used automation for safety and efficiency and are now using AI for routine maintenance and further efficiencies. Retail and logistics companies are using AI to forecast demand and manage warehouses and supply chains. 'In each of these sectors, the adoption of AI tools is creating opportunities to redesign roles and unlock hidden capacity within existing teams,' Mr McFarlane said. Schools are another sector figuring out how to use generative AI. St Mary MacKillop College in Melbourne's southwest has taken on the challenge of leading the wave for multiple reasons; AI has the potential to better teach kids, the tech can help teachers plan and assess, the software is getting better, and AI simply needs to be taught in safe, ethical and effective ways. St Mary MacKillop digital learning co-ordinator Trent Wilson told NewsWire the school was using a small number of 'carefully selected' generative AI tools. Students in years 7 to 10 are using an AI feedback tool for responses about what they have done well and how to improve. The tool is called Education Perfect; some tasks that the students do and get feedback from are created by Education Perfect, some are created by the school. Students in years 10 to 12 are using a research chatbot called Perplexity. The school is teaching the students how to speak to the bot, what constitutes safe and ethical use, and how to critically evaluate the bot's responses. 'Using an external tool with older students acknowledges their need for greater agency and prepares them for a future in which AI literacy is essential,' Mr Wilson said. 'This tool is not writing student work, rather guiding students on refining and editing their own ideas and writing.' Throughout 2024, college staff did professional learning, academic reading and research and ran trials with select classes. In 2025, the school had its rules and principles ready to go. MacKillop's AI use was grounded in critical thinking, ethical use and academic integrity, Mr Wilson said. The college is not using AI for any counselling services. 'AI is an incredibly fast-moving technological phenomenon that has tremendous potential,' Mr Wilson said. 'Nowhere is the obligation to manage its risks, and unlock its potential, more vital than in education, where we help to shape the next generations.' Shane Smith co-founded the Education Perfect tool being used at MacKillop. He said the program gave teachers more time to focus on one-on-one support. 'In schools that have had time to trial AI, teachers report that it can also help identify learning gaps more quickly and make it easier to plan lessons that meet the needs of different learners,' Mr Smith said. 'These efficiencies are particularly valuable in high-demand classrooms. Any time saved, even if just minutes, can be reinvested directly into students.' The tech developer is also confident advancements will not lead to job losses. 'No, we absolutely don't believe that AI will lead to job losses for teachers in Australia,' he told NewsWire. 'In fact, it will be key to help address teacher shortages by reducing workload and improving efficiency. 'AI is best seen as a tool to augment teacher effort and expertise. The human element of teaching – grounded in trust and mentorship – cannot be replicated by AI.'
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Should non-diabetics wear continuous glucose monitors?
Corrine Moore beams with pride and relief as she opens a graph on her phone, showing a steady line that reflects her blood sugar levels throughout the day. It is a rare event for the 25 year old, who has suffered from type 1 diabetes since she was two and constantly battles to keep her blood sugar levels within a safe range. The app she uses connects to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) stuck to her arm, which takes measurements of her blood sugar every five minutes. The device not only gives her painless access to checking her blood sugar, but alerts her to rises and drops in her levels before they become dangerous. For Ms Moore, CGMs are part of a constant struggle to keep her body functioning, so she was surprised to scroll upon videos of non-diabetics wearing the devices in recent months. In an Instagram reel, a woman wearing a CGM explains how a morning coffee spiked her blood sugar by 2 millimoles per litre and how she avoided it the next time by going for a walk. The account tells viewers that reducing blood sugar spikes helps the body avoid storing fat, and directs them to an online paid "fatburner" academy. In other videos, self-described "biohackers" nervously install CGM's on their arms for the first time, and recount the information it gives them throughout the day. Ms Moore, whose blood sugar often spikes by more than 10mmol/L after a miscalculated or mistimed insulin dose, says it is frustrating to witness. "To me, that's a lifesaving medical device, to them it's to see what their sugar levels are doing after they eat a banana," Ms Moore says. Ms Moore says it is debilitating or fatal if diabetics do not constantly monitor their blood sugar and adjust it correctly, making it hard to watch people who do not carry the same mental load fret about small rises and drops in their glucose levels. "They make it look so easy-breezy but it's not for us [diabetics]," she says. "We don't want to desensitise how life-threatening diabetes can be, it can be quite scary." The ABC reached out to a number of content creators promoting usage of CGMs. Those who responded were adamant about the potential health benefits. But they insist diabetics should be granted priority access. "In the western world we have a culture of treating symptoms and treating disease," Curious Media director Steve Grace says. "I think everyone wants to move to more of a preventative style [of healthcare]." "If the device is available for purchase, why not allow broader use when it has clear preventative potential?" content creator Kylie Gulliver says. Some of the online content showing non-diabetic CGM users is linked to Vively, which launched in 2021 as "the first company in Australia to bring blood glucose monitoring to those without diabetes". Medical director and co-founder, Michelle Woolhouse, says the devices can help people lose weight by showing them how different foods and behaviours impact their bodies in real-time. "It's really about giving people an educational tool alongside lifestyle advice, that can help them to really feel empowered and understand what works for them," Dr Woolhouse says. She says the devices can also help people discover health issues prior to a diagnosis, such as pre-diabetes, and intervene before it gets worse. "A lot of people are recognising they have more metabolic dysfunction than they previously thought that they would," she says. Dr Woolhouse says peri-menopausal women are a large demographic of non-diabetic CGM users, using them to mitigate weight gain that occurs during a shift in their metabolism. In the wake of a recent shortage in type 2 treatment drug Ozempic, many diabetics such as Ms Moore remain nervous about weight-loss claims triggering demand and shortages in their supplies. However, the Therapeautic Goods Administration says it it not aware of any supply disruptions for CGMs. Dr Woolhouse says her company definitely considered the prospect of shortage, but says it is "not the case" in Australia. "Two new players have just been registered on the TGA, there's a lot of new CGMs coming onto the market," she says. Diabetes WA spokesperson Jessica Weiss says there is "plenty" of stock available but it is "challenging to say" whether the future supply could be affected by uptake from non-diabetics. Unsubsidised, CGMs generally cost about $200 — $300 per month. A limited quota of the devices is partially subsidised each year for type 1 diabetics, and they remain full price for type 2 diabetics, who continue to campaign for affordable access. Ms Weiss says without the right education, non-diabetics using CGMs could misunderstand what to expect from their bodies and set unrealistic targets around their glucose levels, develop increased anxiety or cut out certain types of foods. "You're getting a lot of information that you didn't previously have," she says. "For people without diabetes, our body does an excellent job of regulating our glucose levels. These highs and lows are very normal and very safe. She advises "a little bit of extra caution" when buying health-related products outside of conventional channels. On Vively's website, Dr Woolhouse says the research is "still early" on CGMs, and there is not yet solid evidence to say whether wearing one has any negative impact for non-diabetics. However, she insists her company provides comprehensive coaching by professionals to ensure clients interpret their readings correctly. "We do a lot of education in the app to help people really understand [the data]" she says. "We do find it can actually help people to understand the sources of their eating disorders, as they stabilise their blood glucose levels." Editor's Note: Reporter Brianna Melville has type 1 diabetes and uses a glucose monitor.
The Australian
21 hours ago
- The Australian
ASX hits fresh peak on Friday despite China's unexpected economic shift
Australia's sharemarket continued its strong gains, setting a new record high for the fifth straight session as a strong start to reporting season outweighed weakness out of China. The benchmark ASX200 continued its march higher during Friday afternoon's trading, closing up 64.80 points or 0.73 per cent to 8,938.60, while the broader All Ordinaries finished the day up 63 points or 0.69 per cent to 9,212.10. Australia's dollar also traded 0.13 per cent higher and at the time of writing was buying 65.03 US cents. In a broad market rally, nine of the 11 sectors traded higher with only consumer staples and technology finishing lower. Australia's sharemarket jumped during the afternoon's trading. Picture Newswire/ Gaye Gerard. The big four all gained, led by Westpac which jumped 2.14 per cent to $36.81 after announcing strong quarterly results on Thursday. ANZ also had a strong day up 1.78 per cent to $33.08, while NAB finished 0.80 per cent higher to $39.19 and Commonwealth Bank traded 0.57 per cent higher to $168.17. The materials sector helped lift the market with BHP shares up 1.08 per cent to $41.96, Rio Tinto jumped 1.41 per cent to $115.05 and Fortescue closed 1.28 per cent higher at $19.84. The rise in the materials sector came despite weakness out of China which could impact Australia's major resources sector. AMP chief economist and head of investment strategy Shane Oliver said Chinese economic data for July was soft. 'Retail sales, industrial production and investment all rose less than expected and residential property investment and sales are continuing to fall as are home prices,' Dr Oliver said. 'Unemployment rose slightly although this possibly due to grad and typhoon season.' The market ignored pressures from China, focusing on reporting season which so far has been better than expected. 'Results have been good with more upside than downside surprises, although most results have been in line, and a big increase in the number of companies reporting profits or dividends up on a year ago than in the December half reporting season,' Dr Oliver said. 'Just bear in mind though that it was much like this at the start of the last reporting season as there is a tendency for companies with good results to report early so results may soften over the next couple of weeks.' Nine of the 11 sectors gained. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw He also said consensus earnings expectations are for overall business profits to fall 1.7 per cent. If the results show this, it would be the third year in a row corporate earnings shrunk. In company news, shares in hearing implant maker Cochlear gained 0.99 per cent to $309.03 after announcing a 1 per cent increase in underlying net profits to $392m, while revenue was up 4 per cent. Cochlear said it aimed to help more than 60,000 people to hear using one of its devices over the next year, up from 53,000 in the last financial year. Shares in Amcor sank 9.70 per cent to $13.60 after announcing its fourth-quarter results showing weakness out of its North American businesses. Baby Bunting soared 40.54 to $2.60 on its latest earnings with the business aiming to double its store network. According to its results until June 29 sales grew by 4.7 per cent to $521.9m, while margins increased and underlying net profit under tax soared 228 per cent to $12.1m. Read related topics: ASXChina Ties
