After going into the Albanese Government's economic reform roundtable with a substantial agenda for regulation of artificial intelligence, the ACTU has emerged with what it says is a "breakthrough" deal with the technology sector's peak body to develop a model to pay for use of copyrighted material by artificial intelligence.
In a case highlighting the "obvious danger" of relying on artificial intelligence for legal advice, the FWC has refused to extend time for a "hopeless" 900-day late dismissal challenge written by and filed on the suggestion of ChatGPT.
Newly-introduced NSW legislation would require employers to ensure that their use of artificial intelligence, algorithms and automation does not risk worker health and safety, including by creating excessive workloads and performance metrics or unreasonably monitoring workers.
The ACTU will use next month's economic reform roundtable to demand the Albanese Government compel employers to reach AI "implementation agreements" with workers that guarantee job security and any necessary retraining before they can introduce the technology.
With employers said to be using artificial intelligence for everything from recruitment and rostering to forecasting industrial action, an employment lawyer is urging IR practitioners to consider the legal, ethical and practical issues.
Victorian employers would need to prove that workplace surveillance is "necessary and proportionate", restrict its covert use and review all automated decision-making under recommendations made by a parliamentary inquiry into the State's "outdated" laws.
Employers should be statutorily barred from using AI to make decisions affecting workers without "human oversight", while the FWC should review the National Employment Standards in response to "significant job redesign" by the technology, says a government inquiry into the digital transformation of workplaces.
A Senate inquiry into AI has recommended updating workplace OHS frameworks to impose a positive duty on employers to minimise the risk of AI and mandating consultation, while a second parliamentary probe is considering whether the government should introduce protections from excessive workplace surveillance.
A study into the use of generative AI tools in recruitment warns they might filter out qualified candidates based on race, social origin and disabilities and butt-up against anti-discrimination laws, but with "guardrails" could in fact address bias and boost transparency.
A blowout in FEG scheme processing times, a "human-in-the-loop" AI initiative and no gender pay gap among its employees are among the highlights of DEWR's latest annual report, tabled last week.
