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

Tech giant Microsoft has signed a groundbreaking agreement with Australia’s top union body aimed at giving workers a formal voice in the rollout of artificial intelligence across the economy, as AI adoption advances faster than regulation.

Under a new framework agreement signed on Wednesday, Microsoft Australia and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) have committed to working together on AI capabilities, consultation and public policy. Both sides are presenting the agreement as a first in Australia and a model for how AI adoption can move forward with unions within the tent, rather than protesting from outside.