Microsoft & ACTU hold first AI workers' summit in Sydney

Microsoft and the Australian Council of Trade Unions held a Workers' Summit in Sydney on the adoption of artificial intelligence in Australian workplaces, marking the first dialogue of its kind between the company and Australia's union leadership.

The meeting focused on how AI is changing work and on approaches designed to keep worker input and skills development at the centre of its use. It followed a framework agreement signed earlier this year by Microsoft Australia and the ACTU to support dialogue and collaboration as AI and other emerging technologies are introduced into workplaces.

The agreement covers three main areas: information-sharing on AI trends and applications, worker input into how AI systems are designed and deployed, and joint work on public policy and skills to help workers prepare for workplace change.

Workplace use

Summit discussions examined the practical use of AI across Australian workplaces, including AI as a management tool, AI as a work tool, and the effects of these technologies across different industries.

Union delegates also used the meeting to relay workplace trends observed by their members. The gathering brought together Microsoft leaders and technical staff, the ACTU, peak union bodies from New South Wales and Victoria, and individual unions from a range of sectors.

Policy debate

The event reflects a wider debate over how employers, workers and policymakers should respond as AI systems move further into day-to-day operations. Businesses are assessing software that can automate routine tasks, assist staff with research and drafting, and help managers monitor workflows. Unions, meanwhile, have raised questions about consultation, oversight, training, and the effect on jobs and conditions.

In Australia, that debate has increasingly focused on whether workers have enough input before new systems are introduced. The Microsoft-ACTU initiative suggests both sides are trying to build more formal channels for that conversation, rather than leaving discussions until after tools have already been rolled out.

Steven Miller, Area Vice President for Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, described the gathering as an early milestone under the agreement. "Today's Summit was a first-of-its-kind dialogue between the technology sector and Australia's union leadership, and an invigorating first step in delivering on the Framework Agreement we signed with the ACTU earlier this year," said Steven Miller, Area Vice President, Microsoft Australia and New Zealand.

Miller added: "AI is reshaping Australian workplaces at an extraordinary pace, and we firmly believe that our economy and society will be best served if workers are kept at the heart of this transformation."

The ACTU presented the meeting as a practical example of engagement between organised labour and a major technology company. The approach comes as unions seek a larger role in decisions about tools that can influence workloads, performance assessment, and the organisation of work.

"Today's summit was a positive demonstration of engagement between Microsoft and unions," said Joseph Mitchell, Assistant Secretary, ACTU.

Mitchell added: "Global tech leaders, managers and developers heard directly that for AI to benefit workers and have a positive impact, workers must be involved right from the start, our expertise respected and skills developed along the way."

Next steps

Under the existing agreement, Microsoft Australia and the ACTU plan to continue joint learning and information-sharing over the coming year. They also intend to establish regular channels for worker input and identify priority areas for practical work.

Another element of the arrangement involves training for union officials. Microsoft will work with the Australian Trade Unions Institute to develop AI training for union leaders and staff, aiming to help them support workers as digital tools are adopted more widely.

That training component highlights a broader issue in the AI debate: adaptation is not only about whether technology is introduced, but also whether staff and representatives understand how it works and how it may affect jobs. Employers in many sectors have argued that workforce familiarity with AI tools will be important as software becomes part of routine business processes.

For unions, the question is likely to be less about rejecting the technology outright than about the terms on which it enters the workplace. The summit's agenda, with its emphasis on implementation, management uses and worker feedback, indicates that both parties are focusing as much on practical questions of deployment as on broad principles.