✦ SAFE AND FAIR AI AT WORK
AI is now a work health
and safety issue.
Algorithms already decide who gets which shift, how fast people work, how performance is scored and who gets flagged. We help boards and leaders adopt AI in a way that protects psychological safety, treats people fairly and holds up to scrutiny from regulators, workers and the public.
People first. Responsible AI. ↓
02. WHAT HAS CHANGED
AI regulation is
rapidly evolving.
FEB 2026
NSW
Work Health and Safety Amendment (Digital Work Systems) Act 2026
Excessive
workloads
Unreasonable
performance metrics
In February 2026, NSW passed the Work Health and Safety Amendment (Digital Work Systems) Act 2026. It is the first Australian law to name algorithms, artificial intelligence, automation and online platforms as a source of work health and safety risk.
Once the new duty commences, organisations will need to make sure the way these systems allocate work does not put workers at risk. The Act points to excessive workloads, unreasonable performance metrics, excessive monitoring or surveillance, and discriminatory decisions. Union entry permit holders will also be able to inspect those systems where they suspect a breach.
Outside NSW, the obligation already exists in a broader form. Employers across Australia must manage psychosocial risks at work, not just manage the systems that generate them.
Excessive monitoring
or surveillance
Discriminatory
decisions
03. WHY IT MATTERS
People feel
it first.
When digital systems are designed or rolled out badly,
the people doing the work notice before anyone else.
Work speeds up and control slips away. Monitoring
becomes constant, and decisions arrive that no one can
explain or challenge.
AI programs that measure success by usage and productivity
alone can make this worse. Boston Consulting Group research
in 2026 found that heavy AI oversight was linked to greater
mental fatigue and information overload. Workers experiencing
what the researchers called “AI brain fry” made more small
mistakes and were more likely to plan to leave.
For organisations, this cost shows up in work quality, burnout
and attrition, and increasingly in legal and reputational exposure.
Heavy AI oversight
was linked to greater
mental fatigue and
information overload.
“AI brain fry”
Workers experiencing
“AI brain fry” made more
small mistakes and were
more likely to plan to leave.
01.