Artificial intelligence is having a major impact on our daily lives and how we interact with the service sector.
For example, the way we interact with the legal profession is rapidly changing.
For example, having an attorney evaluate your case typically involves a number of administrative tasks that take time to complete.
David Fischl (left) says AI can improve efficiency in the workplace. (ABC News: Torsten Joses)
“So clients are asking us to either defend them on certain matters or advise them on certain matters,” Hixson’s partner David Fischl told The Business.
“And that request comes with a huge pile of paperwork.
“So the way a lot of law firms are doing it right now is to have junior lawyers go through the documents and find the needle in the haystack.”
Fischl said using AI to scan documents has made the process much faster.
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Hixons also used AI to redact thousands of pages of people’s personal information.
“AI can now help with that work and find items faster and point them out to junior lawyers, so it will actually help them learn faster,” Fischl said.
Federal courts have also embraced the technology, but say it must be used responsibly.
Changing the face of customer service
In the insurance space, comparison website Compare Club said AI is helping customers find the right insurance faster.
“The game changer with AI is the fact that you can have a conversation, for example, rather than just choosing something online,” said Kate Brown of Compare Club.
Kate Brown says AI can streamline customer service processes. (ABC News: Scott Preston)
“So our digital assistant has all the health insurance policies, all the compliances followed and all the details behind it, and can not only help customers with product selection, but choose the right product according to their health needs, age, tax status, and actually make the right recommendations.”
The superannuation sector is also looking at the rise of robots and considering how such technology can support members.
The Australian Superannuation Funds Association (ASFA) wants to automate elements of financial planning that have traditionally only been done by humans.
Mary Delahunty hopes artificial intelligence will make supermarkets more accessible to Australians. (Provided by: ASFA)
“What’s interesting is that AI may help determine next steps,” ASFA CEO Mary Delahanty said.
“So, beyond just combining their super, there are prompts about what decisions a person needs to make next: What type of insurance do you have? Does it fit your lifestyle? What type of investments do you want? Does it match your risk profile?
“I think there’s a lot more that AI can do to help members make really good choices about their super.”
Australia backs off 8-ball with AI
The federal government announced its national AI plan in December 2025.
But the problem with government-backed networking company Asialink Business is the gap between what AI is doing and what it can do.
Chief Executive Catherine Mudford said Australia needed to consider what Asian countries were doing in the AI space.
Catherine Mudford believes Australia is not competitive enough in AI development. (ABC News: Patrick Rocca)
“So step away from just thinking and consider taking action,” she said.
“If you look at China, which is focused on AI, they have policy ambitions to have an AI adoption rate of 70% in key sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare by 2027 and 90% by 2030.
”Its ambition is staggering and we need to catch up in that area.”
Mr Mudford said he wanted Australia to use green energy to build infrastructure such as data centres.
“Australia has bold, innovative thinking and the time is right to move on,” she told The Business.
Is AI a threat to entry-level jobs?
According to employment website SEEK, demand for AI-related skills has increased by 80% since the beginning of 2024.
But the shift to AI comes at the expense of other jobs.
Official figures showed the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3% in March, but economists warn it will rise from here.
HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said: “I think the problem is that this is very likely to be the calm before the storm.”
Lawyer David Fischl said while robots are doing some work, they are not replacing junior lawyers.
“Document review, large-scale document review, I think is probably something that a lot of lawyers don’t like,” he said.
“And that’s what a young lawyer did.”
Tim Ayers, a spokesperson for Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayers, said in a statement to ABC News that AI offers significant opportunities to increase productivity, help people get into safe jobs and create better-paying jobs.
“As a government, we are committed to ensuring that AI is used to create good jobs, not threaten them,” the spokesperson said.
