Labor and the Coalition are poised to take a reckless gamble on AI. Haven’t they realised community support has collapsed? | Edward Santow and Sarah Sacher

Biblical Context

AI itself is not addressed in Scripture, but the reported practices raise direct biblical concerns about how people with power treat workers. James 5:4 condemns employers who withhold or unjustly deny workers what they are owed; its immediate context is wealthy oppression of laborers, not technology, but it supports scrutiny of systems that extract more labor while imposing punitive or unfair consequences. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 likewise requires timely and just treatment of hired workers, emphasizing that a worker’s livelihood must not be treated carelessly. That principle is relevant to automated productivity targets, deactivations, and monitoring practices that may threaten a person’s ability to earn. Colossians 4:1 instructs masters to give servants what is right and fair, grounding workplace authority in accountability to God. The passage does not settle modern surveillance law, but it rejects the idea that managerial power is unlimited. Employers using software to track screens, audio, speed, or performance remain responsible for whether their practices are proportionate and just. Ephesians 6:9 makes a related point by warning earthly masters against threatening those under their authority and reminding them that they too answer to the same heavenly Master. This provides a meaningful comparison to punitive automated management, while not implying that every productivity measure is inherently abusive. The article’s concern for workers facing injury, harassment, and severe psychological strain also fits the broader biblical duty to protect people from oppression and abuse. Scripture supports fair treatment and accountability, but it does not prescribe the proposed “fair and reasonable” statutory test or establish that all AI monitoring is wrong. The strongest connection is therefore to biblical principles governing labor, authority, justice, and human dignity—not to a specific end-times prophecy.