‘Almost dystopian’: Should AI write workplace emails?

A workplace dispute in Queensland has produced an unusual ruling: the parties must stop using artificial intelligence to write to each other.

The Fair Work Commission issued the order in late July during a bullying complaint involving a caretaker and a Queensland body corporate. The employee said the workplace repeatedly refused to clarify their duties, issued confusing and changing instructions, and made other allegations.

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lengthy, wide-ranging, replete with generalisations, repetitive, and often couched in accusatory language

Commissioner Sarah McKinnon ruled that the employee had been bullied. But she also criticized correspondence from both sides, saying it appeared to have been prepared with an AI tool. She described the messages as "lengthy, wide-ranging, replete with generalisations, repetitive, and often couched in accusatory language".

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This was to the detriment of all parties.

McKinnon said the workplace eventually chose not to engage with the employee, but that decision also meant it failed to address many of the concerns being raised. "This was to the detriment of all parties," she said. She ordered that future communication be accurate and respectful, with no AI tools used to prepare it, and told the parties to keep their messages brief and focused.

Queensland University of Technology communications professor Daniel Angus said the case showed the appeal of using AI to make writing sound more forceful or persuasive. In an adversarial dispute, he said, the technology could be used to overwhelm an opponent. The first email, sent in 1971, contained only the characters "QWERTYUIOP".

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There is to be no use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of correspondence between the parties.