Redundant

Picture this: you show up to work, grab your morning coffee, open your laptop… and boom, you’re “redundant.” That’s what happened to Dhanushi at Commonwealth Bank (CBA). On the very same day CBA rolled out its brand-new AI chatbot, she got the boot. The bank swears it’s just a coincidence. Right. And my gym membership swears I’ll show up three times a week.

This isn’t just one unlucky worker. Across Australia, big banks and companies are trimming staff while “coincidentally” introducing AI tools that just happen to do the same jobs. CBA recently planned to replace 45 workers with its chatbot. The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) announced it’ll cut 3,500 jobs by 2026. And Telstra (Australian telecommunications)? They’ve been parading Microsoft Copilot around while quietly slashing thousands of roles. Translation: the bots are clocking in, and people are clocking out.

CBA wants to look like the cool kid on the block: “We’ve got a chatbot, we’re saving money, we’re the future of banking.” ANZ is limping behind, promising job cuts like they just discovered AI last week. And Telstra? They’re that kid yelling from the sidelines, “Hey, we’re using Copilot too!” But it’s starting to look more like AI is piloting them straight into a PR disaster. In this arms race, CBA’s flexing, ANZ’s sweating, and Telstra’s just praying someone notices them.

But why should you care? Well, this isn’t just about banks. It’s about the jobs you and your kids rely on: entry-level gigs, customer service roles, office support work. These aren’t “extra” jobs. They’re the training wheels of entire careers. And if AI takes them, how do people even get on the career ladder? If you think it won’t touch you, remember: every job has a chunk that’s repeatable, and repeatable is exactly what AI eats for breakfast.

Companies might not even tell you when AI is coming for your role. They’ll dress it up as “efficiency” or “restructuring.” But deep down, you know what’s happening. The chatbot doesn’t need health insurance, doesn’t gossip in the break room, and never asks for a raise. Which one do you think your boss prefers?

And here’s what it means for you: If you’re a CEO or founder, you should be asking how to adopt AI without blowing up trust with your people. If you’re a VP or manager, you should be figuring out which parts of your team’s work are vulnerable and how to retrain them before the pink slips arrive.

If you’re an individual contributor, you should be asking: What can I do that AI can’t? Am I building skills that make me harder to replace? And if you’re just the average American, you should care because when those “starter jobs” disappear, it’s not just workers who suffer, it’s entire communities losing income, stability, and opportunity.

AI isn’t creeping in, it’s barging through the front door. Today, it’s bank tellers and call center staff. Tomorrow? It might be your desk. The real question is: are you ready to work with AI… or are you waiting for the day it politely replaces you?

- Matt Masinga