Government-hosted roundtable held for the development of a Best Practice Guidance for AI in the workplace
Major Australian employers convened in a government-hosted roundtable last week to share their experiences in deploying artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the development of a Best Practice Guidance for workplaces.
Among the participants of the roundtable held last week were the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Microsoft, AGL, Telstra, Kmart, Blackmores Group, and Ramsay Health Care.
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth said the roundtable wanted to hear the experiences of these large employers already introducing AI to their workforce for the development of a Best Practice Guidance for AI in the workplace.
"The lessons shared today will help inform Australia's first tripartite Best Practice AI Guidance and make sure it reflects the realities of modern workplaces," Rishworth said in a statement on Friday.
Among the topics discussed during the roundtable were the foundations of best practice AI adoption that shares benefits with workers and employers, as well as strategies for effective and inclusive change management.
The roundtable also sought responses on ways to encourage and support best practice AI adoption at work, as well as how to build workers' trust and confidence as workplaces adopt new technologies.
Consultation for Best Practice Guidance for AI
The roundtable is one of the government's five consultations with unions, employers, small businesses, employer peak bodies, and academics. Feedback from these consultations will inform the development of the country's first Best Practice Guidance for AI in the workplace.
Rishworth underscored the need to understand the best practices of AI adoption due to the technology's major impact in workplaces.
"What we are working on is what does best practice look like when adopting AI in workplaces?" she told ABC's Radio National Breakfast. "If business and workers are going to have the confidence to embrace the benefits that come with AI, we need to look at what does best practice in that adoption mean."
Findings from Jobs and Skills Australia in 2025 revealed that AI tools will more likely augment work instead of replacing workers, with the technology to enhance workers' efforts in completing tasks.
