“Artificial intelligence represents a profound opportunity to deliver benefits for both businesses and workers, including significant and desperately needed productivity improvements,” said Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association, Australian Industry Group.
“To assist workplaces, we need a framework which helps business and workers harness its potential instead of an approach that would hinder its adoption.
“There is a real risk that as our competitor economies use artificial intelligence as a tool to boost productivity, improve safety and allow workers to improve their skills base, Australia gets the balance wrong and takes a regulate-first mindset which hinders its adoption and fosters wariness.
“An approach of providing practical guidance to industry that helps it navigate the adoption of artificial intelligence rather than rushing to regulate its use is the right path.
“We have been working closely and constructively with the Government on development of the proposed guidance. The current draft, which will be released for public comment, is a good start but it clearly needs further refinement to strike the right balance. There is a great deal of valuable information in the guide but elements of what is suggested remain impractical and unrealistic.
“The issue of worker consultation is a flashpoint for potential disagreement between unions and industry.
“As with the adoption of much new technology, all parties inherently recognise the potential benefits of engaging with workers in relation to the implementation of artificial intelligence where appropriate, but we also need to ensure businesses are able to act decisively to seize the opportunity that emerging technologies represent.
“Union calls for heavy handed and unrealistic requirements for businesses to engage with them before any decision around the implementation of artificial intelligence in workplaces will be strongly resisted by employers.
“Employers need to be able to manage their businesses. Employers are ultimately held responsible for workplace productivity, innovation, safety and results. Not every potential use of artificial intelligence can or should be up for debate with unions and a best practice guide should not reflect a misguided view that they will be,” Mr Willox said.
