An Australian bank employee has revealed she was made redundant after 25 years of service—just months after unknowingly training the AI system that would replace her.
Kathryn Sullivan, 63, was a long-time teller at Commonwealth Bank. She was made redundant in July, ending her career with the bank. Before her departure, she had been tasked with scripting and testing chatbot responses for the bank’s AI system, Bumblebee, stepping in when the AI failed to respond correctly during customer trials.
“Inadvertently, I was training a chatbot that took my job,” she said.
Sullivan said she supported the use of new technology to improve customer service but was shocked by the bank’s decision to terminate her role. She added that she received no communication from the bank for more than a week after being let go.
“They ghosted me for eight business days before they answered any of my questions,” she said.
Sullivan said she had no reason to believe her job was at risk while contributing to the AI rollout. She acknowledged that she was aware some messaging services would eventually be outsourced but did not expect to be replaced by the technology she helped train.
“We knew that messaging would eventually be sent offshore, but never in my wildest dream did I expect to be made redundant after 25 years,” she said.
While she supports AI in principle, Sullivan called for regulations to ensure it is used responsibly, particularly where jobs are concerned.
Following the redundancies, Commonwealth Bank admitted to mishandling the process, saying customer complaints increased after the layoffs, highlighting the chatbot’s limitations. The bank later reversed its decision and offered affected employees their jobs back.
Sullivan declined the offer, stating that the new position was not the same as her original role and lacked long-term security.
In a statement, a CBA spokesperson acknowledged that the bank’s assessment had been flawed.
“Our initial assessment that 45 roles were not required did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve apologised to the employees concerned and are reviewing our internal processes to improve our approach.”
The bank said it is now supporting affected staff by offering them the option to return to their previous roles, be redeployed within the organisation, or proceed with redundancy.
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