CEOs discover AI not a productivity magic bullet

AI brings the possibility of productivity gains, but you still have to work at it. (Image: BusinessDesk/NZME/Supplied)

Thu, 23 Oct 2025

Some businesses appear to be struggling to turn the promise of AI into productivity gains. For our Productivity Unleashed series, Dileepa Fonseka looks at some of the reasons why they are finding the task difficult.Kathryn Sullivan stepped up to the plate to train a customer service chatbot – only for the chatbot to replace her and 44 other workers.Last week, ASB's owner, Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA), made headlines when its former employee, Sullivan, confronted CBA’s chair and chief executive about AI redundancies dur...

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