Jobs could be lost in AI transition, tech leader warns

As the world races to embrace artificial intelligence, a tech leader has shared his “worry” for workers.

One of Australia’s leading tech voices says he worries jobs will be lost as artificial intelligence transforms industries unless government, employers and workers do more to prepare.

Atlassian co-founder and Tech Council of Australia chair Scott Farquhar likened the economic potential of AI to electrification when he fronted the National Press Club on Wednesday.

Electricity supercharged economies across the world but, as Mr Farquhar pointed out, made some jobs obsolete in the process.

Tapping into the zeitgeist, he declared AI was “mysterious and dangerous”.

“It requires new infrastructure and we will need different jobs,” he said.

“Today we need to partner with the government to pave the way.

“The scale of the opportunity and risks of missing out demand a new kind of partnership – one that moves at the speed of technology, not at the speed of bureaucracy.”

Atlassian co-founder and Tech Council of Australia chair Scott Farquhar says he worries jobs could be lost in the AI transition. Picture: Martin Ollman / NewsWire

Mr Farquhar’s own company, Atlassian, cut 150 jobs earlier on Wednesday.

In a video message, the firm’s chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes informed the employees their roles would be cut as Atlassian improves its cloud platform and tools. Customer issuers would, in part, be addressed by the use of AI.

Asked about the decision, Mr Farquhar repeated that there “will be jobs changes” as a result of AI.

“In these times, or any time, we should be helping our employees to make the transition at a company level but also at a national level,” he said.

“Particularly in Australia, I feel very privileged and blessed that we live in a nation that has a very strong social safety net and very strong skill training and opportunities for our people to re-skill into new areas.”

He went on to say “every nation in the world will go through the same thing compared to other nations and I think we’re well placed for that”.

Mr Farquhar also said he did “worry”.

Atlassian chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes (right) fired 150 staff members before Mr Farquhar’s National Press Club address. Picture: Martin Ollman / NewsWire

“If, as a nation we want to stick and have the jobs of the past, that is not a good plan for us,” Mr Farquhar said.

“I also think that if we place the burden of retraining on the companies that are making those changes, that puts us at a competitive disadvantage to other places in the world.”

Asked about guardrails to help manage the challenges posed by the AI transition, he said more regulation was not the answer.

“I start in the camp of how do we have less new regulations and how do we have the regulations we currently have be applied better,” Mr Farquhar said.

He said the regulatory challenge for jobs was “making sure that employees and citizens have a clear transition”.

Among his key calls on Canberra to help make the most of AI’s economic opportunities were creating fast-track digital apprenticeships and making Australia the regional data centre hub.

Mr Farquhar also called on the government to lead by example by embracing AI in its daily operations.