AI jobs fight looms over Labor conference

The Australian Labor Party's national conference in Adelaide will be a crucial test for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's approach to artificial intelligence. Workers' rights in the age of AI are set to dominate discussions, with potential disagreements emerging within the party on how to navigate the technology's impact.

Senior ministers, MPs, union leaders, and delegates will convene to debate and vote on the party's national policy platform for the next three years. The draft platform already includes significant references to AI's economic impact, with commitments to ensure AI companies adhere to Australian "values and laws." It also calls for "transparency, accountability, fairness and culpability" for harms produced by AI systems.

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We want AI to support and create good jobs, not replace them.

Further amendments are anticipated regarding AI's influence on jobs, resilience, energy consumption, and sovereign capability. While one Labor source suggested the debate would be more "worker-focused" than copyright issues, another questioned the potential for serious conflict, noting that AI lacks "obvious solutions." This sentiment suggests the Prime Minister might be "relaxed" about the discussion, viewing it as less damaging than other contentious topics like taxing gas exports or imposing gambling restrictions.

Prime Minister Albanese recently emphasized the importance of "secure" work in a speech, stating, "We want AI to support and create good jobs, not replace them." He stressed that while workforce trends are evolving, the "value and importance of secure and fulfilling work" remains paramount. The party aims to foster a "new generation of good, secure jobs" for the Australian economy, signaling a proactive stance on managing AI's integration into the workforce.

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Change is happening, and they have an interest in shaping that change because if not, then they do