Artificial Intelligence in the workplace

Artificial intelligence in the workplace is usually introduced as a productivity question. The issues that carry risk are employment ones.

Decisions about people. Anything contributing to hiring, rostering, performance or termination has to be explainable. A decision nobody can account for is difficult to defend.

Personal information. Putting staff or customer data into a third-party tool is a disclosure and needs assessing as one.

Monitoring. Tools that observe how people work engage workplace surveillance legislation, which differs by state.

Silence read as permission. People are already using these tools. An organisation with no position has taken one by default.

Write down which tools are approved for use here, and what may never be entered into any of them under any circumstances.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner publishes guidance on personal information. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s AI awareness course and HR policy templates.