AN EX-EMPLOYEE has slammed the Commonwealth Bank for firing her after being “tricked” into training AI to “take her job”.
Kathryn Sullivan, 65, was made redundant in July after a 25-year long career with the bank.
Kathryn Sullivan, 65, worked for the Commonwealth Bank for 25 years before being replaced by AI she had unknowingly trained herself[/caption]
A spokesperson for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has apologised to affected employees[/caption]
Sullivan shared her story with ACTU President Michele O’Neil at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday[/caption]
The bank teller revealed how she supported new tech to boost customer service at Commonwealth Bank – which raked in a massive $10.25 billion profit last year.
But little did she know, this would come back to bite her.
“I was completely shell-shocked, alongside my colleague,” she said. “We just feel like we were nothing, we were a number.”
She said: “We knew that messaging would eventually be sent offshore, but never in my wildest dream did I expect to be made redundant after 25 years with the company.
“Inadvertently, I was training a chatbot that took my job.”
Sullivan claimed the bank “ghosted” her for “eight business days” before answering any of her questions about her redundancy.
As part of her final duties, she was tasked with scripting and testing responses for CBA’s Bumblebee AI.
When the chatbot failed during customer trials, she stepped in to help.
Though Sullivan supports the use of AI in the workplace, she believes “there needs to be some sort of regulation to prevent copyright (infringements) … or replacing humans”.
CBA’s AI roll-out quickly backfired, with customer calls spiking after the layoffs.
The bank was forced to bring some staff back, but Sullivan chose to stay redundant, saying the new role was different to her original one and offered no security.
She shared her story at an AI symposium in Parliament House, hosted by the Australian Council of Trade Unions on Wednesday.
A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson admitted the bank had made an “error” in their assessment that 45 roles were not required.
He said: “We have apologised to the employees concerned and acknowledge we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required.
“We are currently supporting affected employees and have provided them with choice regarding continuing in their current roles, pursuing redeployment within CBA or to proceed with leaving the organisation.
“We are also reviewing our internal processes to improve our approach going forward.”
However, CBA is pushing ahead with its AI agenda.
CBA boss Matt Comyn announced a partnership with tech giant OpenAI last month to tackle “scams, fraud, cyber and financial crime”.
He insisted: “To be globally competitive, Australia must embrace this new era of rapid technological change.”
It comes after the heartbroken family of a Microsoft engineer. who died after pouring late-night hours into work, is urging companies to stop overworking employees.
Pratik Pandey, 35, was found face down around 2am on August 19 inside the Bay Area, California office after coming in late to work on multiple projects.
Matt Comyn, CEO of Commonwealth Bank, is pushing forward with the bank’s AI agenda[/caption]