What happened

Customer service employees at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) trained an AI voice chatbot called Bumblebee to automate customer inquiries, after which 45 of their roles were unexpectedly eliminated.

The Finance Sector Union intervened, bringing a case before Australia's Fair Work Commission, which ruled that CBA had failed to maintain adequate compliance and safeguards over employee rights. 

Under pressure, the bank offered affected staff their jobs back, though not all original roles were restored.

Why it happened

CBA made the job cuts based on incomplete assessments of the impact of Bumblebee and other AI services on its workforce, failing to properly consult and safeguard employees before implementing the changes.

The also bank failed to fully consider worker rights and wellbeing, and was opaque in its actions, sparking criticism over how it is managing its technological transition.