AI’s $200B Boost: Who Pays the Human Price?

AI is not just a tech disruption. It’s a human one. And if we don’t act fast, a human tragedy is going to unfold right before our eyes.

The Productivity Commission just warned against regulating AI too heavily, fearing we might “fall behind” economically.

Yes, AI could add $116 billion to Australia’s economy.

Yes, big tech will earn billions.

Yes, the government will grow tax revenues.

But at what cost?

Graduates entering a market already flooded with uncertainty.

Over-45s struggling to stay visible in a system that already overlooks them.

Displaced workers with decades of expertise, treated like yesterday’s news.

The unemployed, pushed further to the margins.

IT contractors, used when needed, discarded when budgets tighten.

And what’s the Commission’s response?

“Painful transitions.”

No strategy. No real plan. No AI pathways to help people succeed - just a vague mention of retraining.

This isn’t productivity policy. It’s passive neglect dressed up as economic pragmatism.

We need:

AI pathways that lift people, not leave them behind

Real investment in human capability and upskilling

Incentives for businesses to reskill, not replace

A bold national strategy that treats people as assets, not casualties

Because if we don’t act now, the gap between the haves and the have-nots will grow wider than ever - and we’ll all pay the price.

The future doesn’t need more technology.

It needs more humanity.

#FutureOfWork #AIDisruption #TechWithPurpose #DigitalDivide #PeopleFirst Talentology AU #HumanCentricAI