The Commonwealth Bank recently replaced 45 customer service workers with an artificial intelligence chatbot. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

Lesson Plan: “When AI Replaces Work: Ethics, Economics, and Employee Impact”

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Two months ago, the Commonwealth Bank announced plans to replace 45 customer service workers with an artificial intelligence chatbot before later backtracking and reversing the decision.

But across the financial services and banking sector, the use of AI is soaring and thousands of jobs have been cut – though the connection is rarely officially made. It’s part of a trend that is reshaping the nation’s labour market behind closed doors

Dhanushi Jayatileka, a CBA worker who was separately made redundant recently, says she is one of many workers to unofficially lose her job to AI, a claim that the bank denies. The Guardian

1. Lesson Objective

Students will:

  • Analyze a real-world case where AI directly affected employment.
  • Investigate broader trends and patterns in AI-driven job displacement in Australia’s banking sector.
  • Critically evaluate the interplay between technology adoption, ethics, and labor rights.
  • Conduct collaborative debate and peer analysis on the future of human work.
  • Reflect on the implications for education, government policy, and workforce support, evaluating real-world policy proposals.

2. Materials

  • Core article: “Dhanushi lost her job the same day CBA rolled out an AI chatbot — it may just be the beginning.” (The Guardian)
  • Kathryn Sullivan’s experience at CBA (news.com.au)
  • ANZ and broader banking sector job cuts with AI integration (news.com.au, reuters.com)

3. Lesson Outline

A. Introduction

  • Begin with a brief overview: In September 2025, Dhanushi Jayatileka lost her job on the same day the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) deployed an AI chatbot—symbolising a broader trend of AI-driven role displacement.

Pose starting questions:

  • What are the ethical and social implications when an employee helps build an AI system that replaces them?
  • Are businesses responsibly balancing technological innovation with human impact?

Part 1: Reading Comprehension

Read the article “Dhanushi lost her job the same day CBA rolled out an AI chatbot — it may just be the beginning” (The Guardian, 9 September 2025).

Answer the following questions:

  1. Who is Dhanushi Jayatileka, and what happened to her on the same day the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) rolled out its AI chatbot?
  2. How did CBA respond to claims that staff were being replaced by AI?
  3. Why is Dhanushi’s story important for understanding the human impact of AI in the workplace?
  4. According to the article, how are unions and regulators responding to AI job losses in banking?
  5. What emotions and themes come through in the narrative — fear, frustration, inevitability, opportunity? Explain with examples.

Part 2: Making Connections

Review at least two related reports among materials.

  • Discussion questions:

  • How do these cases connect to Dhanushi’s story?
  • Are these isolated incidents or part of a wider trend? Why?
  • What patterns emerge?
  • Change: Ask students to create a timeline or graphic illustrating the AI job losses for visual connection.

Part 3: Thinking Deeper

Use these questions to guide your analysis and class discussion:

  1. What ethical issues arise when employees help build AI tools that eventually replace them?
  2. Should companies be required to retrain or redeploy staff before introducing automation? Why or why not?
  3. Are there areas of work where AI should never replace humans? Defend your answer with reasons.
  4. Theoretical perspectives suggest AI often augments rather than replaces jobs, and that qualities like empathy, creativity, and ethical judgment remain uniquely human. Do you agree? Provide examples.
  5. Imagine you are a policymaker. How would you balance innovation with protecting workers?

Part 4: Reflection

Write a short response (1–2 paragraphs):

  • What lesson does Dhanushi’s story teach us about the future of work?
  • As a future worker, educator, or policymaker, what role do you think you will play in shaping how AI is used in society?

Part 5: Essay Questions

Choose one of the following essay prompts to write a longer, research-based response:

  1. “Efficiency vs. Humanity” — To what extent should businesses prioritize efficiency and cost savings when adopting new technologies, even if it means displacing workers? Use examples from the Guardian article and other case studies.
  2. “The Future of Human Work” — What qualities of human labor are most resistant to automation, and how should education systems adapt to prepare students for a world shaped by AI?
  3. “Balancing Innovation and Responsibility” — Evaluate the role of government, unions, and corporations in ensuring AI adoption does not harm workers. Which actor should bear the most responsibility, and why?

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