I was recently at the University of Technology Sydney’s Digital Investigations Technical Training course, discussing the way artificial intelligence (AI) will affect our workforce.

Mentioning AI is to invite no end of front-bar futurism, from a carefree society released from the burden of work to the apocalyptic end of all mankind in a robotic hellscape.

Used properly, AI can increase our productivity. It can release us from dull tasks and give us a scaffold upon which to create work.

We have also seen what AI can do when used improperly. Lawyers under the pump have resorted to AI for work, only to discover during the trial that their programs have made up cases, to the fury of judges presiding over the trials.

Like a lapdog rescued from a shelter, AI is determined to please its master. And if that cyber pat on the head involves pulling falsehoods from the air, then AI will do just that.

Job losses are unlikely to be widespread in the NSW public sector and our other employers. Instead, roles will evolve, with more emphasis on AI‑enabled service delivery and oversight. Workers will need stronger data analysis, digital operations, and AI‑assisted decision‑making skills.

AI is already used in bushfire intelligence, environmental health sensing, and education support tools such as EduChat. Frontline and operational staff are likely to work alongside AI systems that expand capacity, improve situational awareness, automate monitoring, and result in better decision-making.

What is certain is it will change the way our members work. Another certainty is employers will be thinking of ways it can stop our members working, with employees replaced by AI.

The PSA CPSU NSW knows this and knows there is nothing to stop the use of AI in our workplaces. But, as the union that represents you, we will demand to be consulted for all changes brought about by AI, particularly if its introduction is used to justify cuts to jobs.

We will be looking also at the way our employers recruit and retain staff, and will demand that if AI, which has proven to hold inbuilt biases towards white males, is used in these areas, that it is done so with sufficient oversight.

Your union will demand that all decisions made by AI be made under sufficient scrutiny. When decision-making is made without oversight, there is an increase in the potential for errors, corruption and injustice.

We are also, as a union, looking at our own use of AI to ensure we continue to deliver high-quality representation to you, the workers who do so much for the people of NSW.