Kathryn Sullivan asked CBA CEO Matt Comyn about the bank’s plans for AI in the future and how staff could be impacted. (Source: AAP/Getty)
A Commonwealth Bank (CBA) worker has confronted CEO Matt Comyn over the bank’s future plans around artificial intelligence and offshoring jobs. Australia’s biggest bank held its annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday and the top brass took questions from staff and shareholders about its conduct and future plans.
Last month, Yahoo Finance broke the story of former employee Kathryn Sullivan who lost her job at the bank after training an AI chatbot that executives thought could replace her. On Wednesday, she asked Comyn and the bank’s chairman, Paul O’Malley, what CBA was doing to safeguard humans from being replaced by the technology after the lender backed away from its controversial move.
Kathryn was one of 45 workers who were made redundant earlier this year after unknowingly training the AI bot that ended up replacing her – a moment that she described as devastating.
Facing her line of questioning in the public forum this afternoon, the chairman acknowledged how difficult that situation was for her and admitted the bank made a “mistake” in how it handled the situation.
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“We made a mistake. We didn’t adequately consider all the relevant business considerations,” he told the room.
O’Malley conceded that any future moves to embrace the emerging technology in this space need to be done carefully.
“We do have to make changes in the business from time to time. That is inevitable, but we have to do that respectfully,” he said.
“We can’t afford to make mistakes, and we can’t afford to impact our people, but if we do, we need to rectify that and provide support as much as possible.”
Commonwealth Bank Chairman Paul O’Malley and CEO Matt Comyn faced the music at the bank’s Annual General Meeting at the Gabba in Brisbane today. (Source: NewsWire/Dan Peled) · News Corp Australia
CEO Matt Comyn echoed the contrite sentiment.
“It’s incumbent upon us, as it should be, to engage appropriately and determine whether any roles will be impacted,” he said.
The bank was ultimately forced to re-engage with staff – a process which Comyn labelled “unnecessarily challenging”.
“The way we engage with employees, how we think about that over time, how we try to develop and retain as many of those skills as we can is really important, and that’s certainly a priority for us going forward,” he added.
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CBA had been developing an AI chatbot that would be able to look after a range of customer inquiries.
Sullivan, who had worked at CBA since 2000, had spent the last few years teaching the chatbot how to respond to certain questions and issues.
Little did she know, the technology would eventually cannibalise her job and dozens of other roles.
She told Yahoo Finance it was a huge slap in the face.
“I was loyal for so long, and this is the thanks I get,” the 63-year-old said. “I gave my heart and soul to the business. I wore the uniform with pride.”
Kathryn wanted to keep working for a few more years before retirement and worries about competing with younger people for work. (Source: Supplied) · Supplied
CBA eventually backflipped on that redundancy plan in a massive about-face, and the affected staff were given an opportunity to keep their jobs or take a voluntary redundancy.
“CBA’s initial assessment that the 45 roles in our Customer Service Direct business were not required did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations and this error meant the roles were not redundant,” a spokesperson for the bank told Yahoo Finance.
“We have apologised to the employees concerned and acknowledge we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required.
“We are also reviewing our internal processes to improve our approach going forward.”
Sullivan took the voluntary redundancy because she claimed there was no guarantee how much longer her role would last.
The single mum also revealed she told the bank last year that she was looking to retire by 2029, and she was afraid about how she could continue to support her son, who has a disability.
“He’s going to be my responsibility until I die, so my retirement money isn’t just going to be for me,” she told Yahoo Finance.
“It’s going to be to ensure I’m maintaining his lifestyle as well.”
A poll of more than 1,400 Yahoo Finance readers found 21 per cent were concerned AI will replace them at work, while a further 40 per cent said they “hated” using the technology in their jobs.
CBA recently boasted over being named as one of the world’s top four banks when it comes to harnessing responsible artificial intelligence in the 2025 Evident AI Index.
In his address to the AGM, Comyn addressed the bank’s approach for AI, saying it had already invested $300 million into the technology in the last financial year “in line with our strategic priorities”.
The CEO said this has allowed the bank to “deliver more personalised experiences for our customers”, and also made it “easier for our people to serve our customers”.
“To strengthen our internal capabilities, we’ve partnered with global leaders to try to bring the best of AI to our customers and to our people,” he added.
“We’ve also established our own tech hub in Seattle, where we will rotate 200 of our people each year to connect with our partners to accelerate learning and bring advanced skills back to Australia.
“Building world class AI and engineering talent is central to our technology ambitions. We hired 2,000 engineers in the last financial year, and we’re providing our people with AI skills and tools so we can deliver the best customer experiences and outcomes.”
CBA has also been copping criticism for reducing its Australian headcount while boosting its employees overseas.
According to the Financial Services Union (FSU), the number of Commonwealth Bank workers in India has jumped from 5,630 to 6,788 in the last financial year.
Earlier this year, the bank made 283 workers in the technology and retail banking services departments redundant. The union said this happened at the same time CBA was advertising “a significant number of near-identical roles” in India.
The FSU filed an application to the Fair Work Commission, which prompted the bank to undertake a review into the impacted roles.
“Two of the 283 roles reviewed were product owner roles located in Australia where the majority of the team and the work was being performed in India,” a bank spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
“However, in June 2025 we provided a rationale that these two roles were no longer required. This information was provided to the FWC and the FSU. The review has been completed and has been resolved. This is reflected in a memorandum from the FWC to the FSU and CBA.”
FSU national assistant secretary Nicole McPherson said offshoring and AI is causing panic amongst Aussie workers, and they deserve to have assurances from the top brass about what is happening.
“Workers deserve better,” she said.
“AI and offshoring aren’t future risks; they’re real threats today. CBA needs to front up and be honest.
“CBA made $10 billion in profit, yet it’s cutting Australian jobs and expanding offshore. That’s not innovation, it’s abandonment. Workers and the public deserve transparency, not spin.
“Last year CBA promised open dialogue on AI and offshoring — but instead we’ve seen more local capability cut while cheaper offshore jobs grow. Workers deserve transparency, not broken promises.”
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