Qantas boss Alan Joyce: artificial intelligence the big disrupter

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has ­described artificial intelligence as one of aviation’s big disrupters.

Alan Joyce in Sydney yesterday. Picture: Hollie Adams.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has ­described artificial intelligence as one of the big disrupters, along with other innovations such as aircraft that allow direct flights from Australia to Europe.

While acknowledging that people talked negatively about job cuts, Mr Joyce said he was ­“always a believer” that there were jobs that could be created from advances in technology.

“The big disruption is in how we use artificial intelligence ... we are looking at all sorts of different ways of having artificial intelligence,” Mr Joyce told a business conference Sydney.

His comments come on the back of National Australia Bank this month outlining plans to cut 6000 jobs, but hire some 2000 specialist technology roles over the next three years as it seeks to reshape its business.

Mr Joyce said other disruptions in aviation included aircraft such as the long-range Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which Qantas will use to start flying non-stop routes between Perth and London in March.

On disruption, he also pointed to Qantas’s challenge to aircraft manufacturing giants Airbus and Boeing to build a plane that could fly non-stop between the eastern seaboard of Australia and ­London or New York.

“They are now calling it the space race, the race to the moon,” he said, adding that it allowed the carrier to be a disrupter of other airlines.

Businesses that used technology “and prove the economics can invest in areas where they can grow and create jobs”.

“The other area that I think is going to be huge and businesses in Australia need to focus on is the growth of Asia,” he added.

He said that engaging with stakeholders beyond just shareholders was crucial.

Earlier, he said business had a role to play in campaigning on ­social issues such as the same-sex marriage vote. Investors were looking at “environmental, social and governance” issues as a reason for tipping investments into companies.

Mr Joyce, one of the key business players in the same-sex marriage campaign, lauded the result.

“What a proud moment for Australia. It’s the epitome of a ‘fair go’ and shows that as a ­nation we want to be more inclusive, not less. The outpouring of support for marriage equality over the past few months has been really heartening. “What’s important for business and my personal belief as to why Qantas’s brand is so healthy ... is that you have to be very conscious of all your stakeholders.

“Sometimes in the past people have been very focused on the shareholders and that’s important but also you’ve got employees, you’ve got customers and you have to show that all of those and the general public that all of those is important .”