The FSU is pushing the Commonwealth Bank for agreement-enshrined limits on its ability to monitor workers and use the data, claiming outdated laws are otherwise giving employers "free rein" to monitor every keystroke or conversation and keep tabs on toilet breaks.
Victoria's Allan Government has today promised to introduce the nation's "toughest workplace surveillance protection laws" if it is returned at November's election.
The FSU says it is embedding "trailblazing" AI clauses in agreements, as the FWC approves an Aware Super deal promising only a human will make key employment-related decisions, and another industry fund is seeking a variation that spells out its consultation obligations ahead of adopting the technology.
An academic says employers' use of multi-functional AI systems without including HR and workers in decision-making is handing power to algorithms, tech vendors and IT teams, creating far-reaching "unintended consequences".
Speakers at an IR conference have emphasised the importance of early, transparent consultations when introducing automation and AI-related change, but a lawyer says locking into a formal process too soon is risky.
Existing AI technologies could boost labour productivity growth in Australia to levels last seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s, according to a leading AI developer.
An "obstinate" worker's "barrage" of lengthy AI-generated "dense, repetitive and often rambling" emails and refusal to accept that his employer had resolved his complaints warranted his dismissal, the FWC has ruled.
Now is the time to consider the effects of introducing humanoid robots into the workforce, taking heed of the gaps the AI transition has exposed and minimising the detrimental impact on workers, an academic says.
The NSW Minns Labor Government is closer to winning passage of controversial Workers Compensation amendments designed to rein in claims for psychological injuries, along with a bill making it easier for unions to inspect employers' digital work systems.
