Bank worker dismissed following deception of AI training for replacement, concluding dedicated 25-year tenure
In a surprising turn of events, a former employee of the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) in Australia, Kathryn Sullivan, has spoken out about her experience of being made redundant due to the bank's AI roll-out. Sullivan, who had a 25-year-long career with the bank, found herself out of a job after being tricked into training an AI that eventually took over her role.
Last year, CBA made a profit of A$10.25bn (£5bn), and in a bid to tackle various forms of crime, the bank announced a partnership with tech giant OpenAI. However, the AI roll-out resulted in customer calls spiking after layoffs, including Sullivan's.
Sullivan revealed that she supported new technology to boost customer service at the bank. Little did she know that her support would lead to her own job being taken by an AI. She was tasked with scripting and testing responses for CBA's Bumblebee AI, but when the chatbot failed during customer trials, she stepped in to help.
The bank admitted an "error" in their assessment that 45 roles were not required, and some staff who were laid off were brought back. Sullivan, however, chose to remain redundant as the new role offered no security.
In the aftermath, Sullivan expressed feeling "completely shell-shocked" and "like we were nothing, we were a number" after being made redundant. She also claimed that the bank "ghosted" her for "eight business days" before answering any of her questions about her redundancy.
Matt Comyn, the bank's CEO, emphasized the need for Australia to embrace technological change. The bank is now reviewing its internal processes to improve its approach going forward.
Meanwhile, the heartbroken family of a Microsoft engineer who died after overworking is urging companies to stop overworking employees. Pratik Pandey, the deceased Microsoft engineer, worked late-night hours and was found inside the Bay Area, California office.
As the world continues to evolve with technology, the story of Kathryn Sullivan serves as a reminder of the human impact of AI and the importance of balancing progress with compassion.
