When it comes to AI adoption, there’s a fine line between bold innovation and reckless misstep.
Last week, Australia’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank, crossed that line.
They quietly displaced 45 customer service employees with AI bots, only to face such swift and fierce customer backlash that they were forced to reverse course and rehire the very people they had let go.
On the surface, this looks like a simple PR blunder. But dig deeper and it’s a powerful lesson in what not to do when implementing AI.
Here’s what Amanda Stevens (consumer futurist and author of Radical Customer Obsession) and I unpacked in our recent conversation:
- Lack of transparency erodes trust – Customers didn’t know this change was happening until they felt it. Calls went up, not down, because the bots simply couldn’t deliver on CBA’s brand promise of customer care.
- Employee trust was broken too – Even with the reversal, how secure can CBA employees feel now? If they did it once, what’s stopping them from trying again?
- AI without strategy is dangerous – The rush to cut costs and show AI “ROI” can lead to knee-jerk decisions that backfire spectacularly. A pilot program, customer choice (press 1 for bot, press 2 for human), and employee consultation could have changed everything.
- Trust is already fragile – As Amanda highlighted, brand trust in Australia is at historic lows. Organisations can’t afford shortcuts that put both customer and employee experiences at risk.
This isn’t just a “big bank” problem. It’s a cautionary tale for every organisation exploring AI right now.
👉 If you’re serious about implementing AI the right way – with strategy, transparency, and humanity at the centre – get my new White Paper, “The C-Suite’s AI Playbook” by replying “White Paper” in the comments.
Because the cost of getting it wrong isn’t just financial. It’s trust. And once broken, trust is very, very hard to rebuild.
