Unions score rare victory in AI adoption with Microsoft’s endorsement

Steven Miller, Microsoft’s area vice president for Australia and New Zealand, said the deal was about a year in the making. He said workers were central to whether Australia would ultimately benefit from AI, both as users of the technology and as contributors to its development.

“They are the ones who are going to use it. They are the ones who are going to drive adoption,” he told this masthead. “They will be a critical factor in Australia’s prosperity, whether in creating new businesses in the future or finding new ways to work better now.”

The agreement builds on a previous memorandum of understanding between Microsoft and several unions, including the Australian Services Union, Professionals Australia and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, which formally recognized the right of Microsoft employees to join unions and the protection of employee representatives in the workplace.