An Australian bank has come under fire after dismissing long-serving staff, including a woman who unknowingly trained the AI system that later replaced her.…….CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Kathryn Sullivan, 63, worked at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) for 25 years before being made redundant in July. Her final duties included scripting and testing responses for Bumblebee AI, a chatbot developed to handle customer queries.
> “Inadvertently, I was training a chatbot that took my job,” Sullivan told reporters. “We just feel like we were nothing — we were a number.”
She said she was left “shell-shocked” alongside colleagues, adding that the bank “ghosted” her for more than a week after the redundancy notice.
Despite supporting new technologies, Sullivan said AI must not be used recklessly:
> “While I embrace the use of AI and I can see its purpose, there needs to be regulation to prevent it from replacing humans entirely.”
Bank Forced to Reverse Decision
CBA later admitted it mishandled the layoffs after a spike in customer calls showed that AI could not fully replace staff. The bank offered reinstatement to affected employees, but Sullivan opted for redundancy, citing lack of job security and a change in role.
In a statement, a CBA spokesperson acknowledged the mistake:
> “Our initial assessment that 45 roles were not required did not adequately consider all relevant business factors. We have apologised to the employees and are supporting them with options, including redeployment or exit packages.”
The bank said it is reviewing its internal processes to avoid a repeat of the controversy.…….CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
