In Australia, a 65-year-old bank employee was fired after the introduction of artificial intelligence, despite having contributed to its development. The story was reported by The Sun and concerns Katherine Sullivan, who lost her job in July after 25 years of service.
Sullivan worked in the customer service department and had participated in testing the artificial intelligence system called Bumblebee. Following the launch of this technology, the bank decided to reduce staff, citing the transition to new digital tools.
According to the bank’s press office, the aim of introducing artificial intelligence is to improve efficiency. However, after launch, Bumblebee failed to properly manage the influx of requests, forcing management to temporarily recall some employees.
Sullivan was among those offered a return, but he declined the proposed new position, as it lacked guarantees of stability. The bank stated that it intends to support laid-off workers and continue its strategy of implementing artificial intelligence technologies.
At the same time, internationally, Microsoft has also faced drastic staff reductions due to the adoption of artificial intelligence-based systems. In July of this year, the tech giant laid off nine thousand employees, marking the largest cut in the company’s history.
A Microsoft spokesperson justified the decision as necessary to remain competitive in an ever-changing market. The cuts particularly affected mid-level management roles, which were considered redundant with the new company organization.
This was not an isolated incident, however. Microsoft had already initiated a series of layoffs in the previous months: two thousand in January 2025 and six thousand in May of the same year. In the summer of 2024, the company had 228,000 employees, a number that has now been significantly reduced due to restructuring policies related to the adoption of artificial intelligence.
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