Commonwealth Bank says AI is reason behind dozens of job cuts in call centres

Australia's biggest bank has cut 45 call centre jobs after rolling out an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to deal with customer inquiries.

Commonwealth Bank confirmed dozens of roles have been "impacted" following an investment in AI which it said would make it "easier and faster" for customers to get help.

The 45 roles make up a small percentage of CBA's 38,000-strong workforce and a spokesperson confirmed to 9news.com.au the bank would attempt to redeploy most roles.

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"To meet the changing needs of our customers, like many organisations, we review the skills we need and how we're organised to deliver the best customer experiences and outcomes," the spokesperson said.

"That means some roles and work can change."

CBA, which posted a net profit of $5.13 billion earlier this year, said it was making a significant investment in AI, like many Australian financial institutions.

It began trialling artificial intelligence at call centres as part of a project titled HeyCommbank last year, which uses ChatGPT technology.

The chatbot will use automated responses for "simple" questions so customer service team members can devote time to more complicated queries, the spokesperson said.

"Our investment in technology, including AI, is making it easier and faster for customers to get help, especially in our call centres," the spokesperson added.

"Recognising that the work context is evolving, and based on individual situations, many of our people have taken up the upskilling and reskilling pathways made available for them to continue their careers at the bank and build capabilities for future opportunities."

CBA made the landmark decision to inform the Finance Sector Union (FSU) that AI is the reason for its latest round of redundancies.

However the bank denied any jobs would be sent offshore.

A CBA spokesperson also said impacted staff may be transitioned into open roles.

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"Our priority is to explore opportunities for redeployment and to support affected employees with care, dignity, and respect throughout the process," the spokesperson added.

"This includes access to redeployment options, career transition services, and wellbeing resources.

"We currently have around 450 open roles across Retail Banking Services, more than 220 in frontline teams. We're also proactively creating new roles to support career growth and help our people transition into future-fit opportunities."

CBA also slashed 164 jobs from its technology division in March.

In February, the bank posted a half-yearly net profit of $5.1 billion, which was up from its previous half-yearly result of $4.8 billion.

The increase was attributed to core business growth and lower loan impairment costs but was partly offset by higher operating costs due to inflation and an increase in investment spending.

The FSU said the 164 jobs being cut was "hypocrisy at its finest".

"Much of their reasoning for these job cuts is very vague and cryptic," the union said in March.

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