Involve your team early

AI works best when people are part of the process from the start.

Involving your people early means engaging them before you finalise AI tools, policies and other decisions. This helps surface risks, practical constraints and unintended consequences. It also builds trust that change is happening with people, not to them.

Think about impacts on your team and their skills before implementing AI systems. Early conversations help surface concerns, improve understanding and manage risk.  

Teams doing the work often know where friction sits. Early involvement helps focus effort on tasks where AI can make a difference. It helps people become active participants in change, which can build confidence and improve decision-making.

Think about impacts on your team and their skills before implementing AI systems. Early conversations help surface concerns, improve understanding and manage risks.

AI adoption isn’t just a technical decision. It changes how people work, how decisions are made and how value is created.

Engaging your team isn’t just good practice, your organisation may also have obligations to consult with your team under workplace laws and workplace and work health safety (WHS) laws. 

For example, duties under WHS laws where the use of AI systems may involve physical or psychosocial health and safety risk

To understand your obligations, refer to WHS laws and guidance from Safe Work Australia and your local WHS regulator.

Organisations that talk to their teams early are better placed to realise value from AI.

Early involvement can help in several ways:

• Build trust and understanding – people engage more when they understand what AI is designed to do, how to use it, and where limits apply. 
• Meet your obligations – you may be required to consult with your workers about the introduction of AI under workplace and WHS laws, including the Enterprise Agreement or Modern Award. 
• Build confidence – early conversations help your team understand their roles and responsibilities and reduces uncertainty. 
• Improve adoption and value – involving people affected by AI helps identify practical uses that fit real workflows and reduces the risk of adding complexity without value.
• Reach better decisions – people closest to the work are better at spotting where AI can help and where it could add risk or complexity.
• Support skills and adaptability – early engagement helps identify what support and training your team needs as tools and ways of working evolve.

Bring your team into the conversation early and understand your AI impact.