Artificial Intelligence: Telstra and ANZ Say Human Call Centres Will Have AI Agents
Australian Financial Review
SKIPPED
Details
- Date Published
- 13 Nov 2024
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 8 Mar 2025, 02:41 pm
Description
The way companies deal with their customers is going to change in the AI era, two of Australia’s biggest companies say, but humans will still be involved.
Summary
The article details how Australian companies Telstra and ANZ plan to integrate AI agents into their call centers while continuing to involve human operators. This move highlights the growing involvement of AI in customer service, reflecting broader industry trends. The article addresses the debate on AI's potential workforce impact, emphasizing opportunities for new job roles as businesses adapt. The discussion reinforces Australia's active participation in global AI governance and safety measures by showcasing industry leaders' responses to emerging AI capabilities. However, it lacks a focused analysis on existential or catastrophic AI risks specifically.
Body
TechnologyAIPrint articlePaul SmithTechnology editorNov 13, 2024 – 5.00amSaveLog inorSubscribeto save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?LoginConcerns that advances in generative artificial intelligence will cut a swath through the workforce, starting in call centres, miss the point of how the technology is changing the way businesses operate and new jobs are being created, according to top executives from Telstra, ANZ Bank, and Salesforce.Debate about how increasingly capable AI agents will change the way companies talk to their customers, and plan their workforces, was ignited in September when Commonwealth Bank revealed itwas experimenting with a ChatGPT-styleplatform in its call centres.Loading...Paul Smithedits the technology coverage and has been a leading writer on the sector for 20 years. He covers big tech, business use of tech, the fast-growing Australian tech industry and start-ups, telecommunications and national innovation policy.Connect withPaulonTwitter.EmailPaulatpsmith@afr.comSaveLog inorSubscribeto save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreAISalesforceANZ BankTelstra CorporationCommonwealth BankBrisbaneAFR ReportsFetching latest articlesOlympic weightlifting is hard. This boss uses the 1pc rule to get it doneLucy DeanOut-of-control watch price rises give housing a run for its moneyKnow your craft: How the biggest airlines rate at the pointy end‘We’ll fight’: Alex Waislitz on family battles and bad betsPatrick DurkinJob appointments have never been purely merit-based: CEW chiefWhy this CEO saves creative work for after her periodNew Zealand pops its cork for one of the world’s great wine festivalsMax AllenWhy Hawaii’s data-driven wellness retreat is a haven for high-flyersA last-chance tote bag and a groovy case for trumpetersVictor Smorgon’s star fundie eyes 50pc returns for new fundAlex GluyasForrest family powerbroker had alleged role in big Fortescue decisionsEllison-run garnet mine faces punishment over unsanctioned development