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   Now that's an embarassing U-turn - bank forced to rehire human workers after   
   their AI replacement fails to perform   
      
   Date:   
   Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:03:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Automating mundane tasks is harder than it looks, CommBank admits.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Australias Commonwealth Bank has provided a useful example of how not to   
   introduce AI tools after being forced into an embarassing clim-down.    
      
   The bank had recently announced 45 customer service workers would be cut and   
   replaced with an AI-powered 'voice bot' in an effort to reduce call volumes   
   and automate less complex replies - leaving a small number of employees to   
   handle the remaining more complex enquiries.    
      
   As it turns out, these bots were not capable of handling the tasks that the   
   workers could - and now, those cut employees will now be rehired.   
      
   The backflip   
      
   The bank claimed the voice-bot led to a reduction in calls, but Australia's   
   Finance Sector Union disputes this claim, noting, Members told us this was an   
   outright lie and did not reflect the reality of what was happening in Direct   
   Banking. Call volumes were in fact increasing and CBA was scrambling to    
   manage the situation by offering staff overtime and directing Team Leaders to   
   answer calls."    
      
   The bank issued an apology to the staff who were affected by the proposed job   
   cuts and reversed the decision. A spokesperson from the bank told TechRadar   
   Pro that it's initial assessment 'did not adequately consider all relevant   
   business considerations and this error meant the roles were not redundant.'    
      
   "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."    
      
   That being said, CommBank is not denouncing the tech entirely, having    
   recently announced a partnership with OpenAI to develop scam and fraud   
   detection solutions, as well as deliver more personalized services for its   
   customers.    
      
   For months, concerns about job losses at the hands of AI were dismissed, with   
   companies assuring that only the most basic and mundane admin tasks would be   
   handled by bots, leaving workers to focus on the more creative aspects of   
   their roles.    
      
   Those in administrative positions who handle almost exclusively mundane tasks   
   have warned that these models, although sometimes useful, cannot replace    
   human experience and understanding.    
      
   Its undeniable that AI is replacing workers, with hundreds of jobs at firms   
   like IBM and Crowdstrike disappearing as humans have been made more   
   dispensable thanks to the tech.    
      
   But, not all of these cost-cutting decisions are working out. In the UK, over   
   half of all businesses who replaced workers with AI already regret their   
   decision , and are not less likely to believe that AI will replace human   
   workers.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/now-thats-an-embarassing-u-turn-bank-forced-to-r   
   ehire-human-workers-after-their-ai-replacement-fail-to-perform   
      
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