The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has begun reinstating employees dismissed in connection with the implementation of an artificial intelligence system. The decision was made after a lawsuit initiated by the union and former employees, writes vc.ru.

In July 2025, the bank cut 45 customer support specialists, citing the introduction of a voice chatbot in the call center. The system was launched a month earlier and was designed to receive customer calls and redirect them to live operators depending on the type of request.

The CBA claimed that the new technology had reduced the number of calls to the call centre by 2000 a week. However, the dismissed workers, together with the FSU union, have challenged this figure in the employment tribunal.

According to former employees, after the chatbot was introduced, the number of calls to the call center increased, which led to the need for overtime work, even involving managers. The employees also reported that the bank was simultaneously looking for specialists in India to fill the vacant positions.

According to ABC, CBA did indeed hire more than 2000 Indian workers in 2025, as confirmed by the company's CEO Matt Comyn.

The court upheld the union's case, after which the bank apologized to the dismissed employees. A CBA representative told Bloomberg that former employees could return to their previous or new positions, and those who declined to return would receive compensation. The exact number of employees who took up the offer of reinstatement has not yet been disclosed.