<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Two major companies in the past two days have announced thousands of collective layoffs as they pursue </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/artificial-intelligence" rel="" target="_blank" title="AI"><span>AI</span></a><span>-driven efficiency, and one expert says it's just the beginning.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/wisetech-to-cut-up-to-2000-jobs-ai-restructure/e1626bc8-91d7-43db-8390-13ea2e0a6eb5" rel="" target="_blank" title="WiseTech Global yesterday revealed"><span>WiseTech Global yesterday revealed</span></a><span> that as part of its ongoing efficiency drive, about 2000 workers were expected to lose their job in 2026-2027.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The day before, it emerged </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/cba-announces-plan-to-upskill-workers-following-300-job-cuts/1badb107-c558-4ece-9112-8309e609422f" rel="" target="" title="Commonwealth Bank will cut 300 jobs of its own"><span>Commonwealth Bank will cut 300 jobs of its own</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/anthony-albanese-apologises-to-grace-tame-over-difficult-label/baf7dee7-5455-4b2a-80f6-d452e7c0d288" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>PM apologises to Grace Tame over one-word description</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But TP Australia's vice-president of customer experience strategy, Richard Valente, who works with major businesses on AI customer experience transformation and workplace strategy, said these decisions weren't just about trimming costs, but fundamentally redesigning what an employee is.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This isn't a cyclical job cut. It's a structural reset of the workforce," Valente said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The era of large, transaction-processing teams is ending. Banks are moving to smaller, highly specialised workforces who manage AI systems, interpret complex data and step in when things go wrong."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/jobs-lost-to-ai-just-the-begininng-of-major-workplace-changes-expert-says/369fe363-ae0b-4c21-a58c-b598db326220" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/hostage-kidnapping-victim-recovered-dural-nsw-police/c27cbcf5-749d-453b-afae-e4de3aa1d577" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>Alleged kidnapping victim recovered from Sydney property in covert operation</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Valente said the recent announcements reflected a broader global trend of organisations racing to embed AI into customer operations while redefining human roles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And he said the bar would be raised for those humans who remained onboard.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The future frontline banker won't just process requests, they'll be problem solvers, relationship managers and trust builders," Valente said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australias-best-beaches-named-tourism-australia/0d2386fa-e849-4e51-b1ec-d71df357d2bb" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Why this beach was just crowned Australia's best</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But it's possible the strategy, being adopted by businesses at an increasingly accelerated rate, could backfire.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Valente warned the biggest risk for businesses would be focusing too heavily on automation without maintaining customer experience standards.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If organisations treat AI purely as a productivity tool, they risk eroding trust," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Customers will still want empathy, reassurance and human judgement, particularly when dealing with money, fraud or financial hardship."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Valente said successful companies would be those that balanced automation with investment in workforce capability.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The real competitive edge won't come from AI alone, it will come from how effectively organisations retrain, redeploy and empower their people to work alongside it," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Organisations also need to ensure they show empathy and understanding to those who are being displaced to protect their own brand. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Providing training, services and Australian AI platforms which assist displaced people to build their own future career path."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by 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