On 15 January, Microsoft entered into a landmark agreement with the ACTU, committing both to work together on AI skills, consultation and public policy.
ACTU ‘s Joseph Mitchell said: “Workers through their unions have consistently raised concerns that AI was being rolled out without meaningful consultation”.
The agreement reflects a maturing view of successful AI adoption, as not just technical capability, but also trust, capability-building, and shared governance.
Companies and organisations to date have focused almost exclusively on productivity gains and cost reduction. Workers encountered AI as something done to them—rolled out quickly, poorly explained, and framed in terms of efficiency rather than value or fairness.
From deployment to participation
Microsoft has acknowledged that AI implementation is a change-management and workforce issue. Workers need to be involved, understand how AI systems will be used, and have a voice on AI implementation.
More broadly, AI adoption fails when people do not trust it, do not understand it, or feel threatened by it. Successful adoption depends on participation, transparency, and ongoing dialogue.
In response, Symmetra is experiencing a growing number of clients, aiming to establish a proper foundation for AI, turning to leverage our inclusion expertise to navigate AI-driven disruption.
This is not surprising as research shows inclusive teams have higher “change power” and are more adaptable and resilient.
In addition, Deloitte’s recent survey provides useful insights for high performance and success in times of disruption—identifying a range of human-centric skills that are entirely consistent with Symmetra’s inclusion capability framework.
Capability, not compliance
With AI’s rapid development, workers need the skills to question outputs, recognise bias, and understand where human judgement remains essential.
Instruction is not only about teaching people to use AI, but about enabling them to work with it responsibly — to adapt, innovate, and spot problems.
Signal to other organisations
The Microsoft-ACTU agreement should resonate with other Australian organisations and beyond, to reject unilateral AI rollouts and favour collaborative change. Workers and their representatives can shape how AI is introduced.
It reflects growing recognition that organisations that thrive will be those that treat AI adoption as a shared project, built on optimising human-centric skills, adaptive capability, trust, and ongoing conversation.
This agreement is an early, but important, marker of that evolving understanding.