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Switzer, republishing The Conversation, reports that Macquarie University academic Gregory Baker successfully argued that he should be treated as an ongoing, part-time employee rather than a casual worker. Baker represented himself and said multiple paid AI agents helped him assemble the case, check references and anticipate counterarguments. The account has not been independently confirmed here.
Switzer reports that the Fair Work Commission ruled that Gregory Baker, a computing academic at Macquarie University, should be treated as an ongoing, part-time employee after the university rejected his request to convert from casual employment. According to the article, Baker had taught computer science across consecutive semesters from 2023 to 2025, notified the university in November 2025 that he believed his work no longer met the requirements for casual employment, and lodged a dispute without a lawyer in December 2025.
The source says the parties failed to reach agreement and the matter went to arbitration on May 12, with a decision handed down the Wednesday before Switzer’s September 7 publication. Baker told the Australian Financial Review that AI first alerted him to the possibility of converting his role. Switzer reports that he used multiple paid AI agents, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, to assemble his case, follow up references and anticipate counterarguments.
Switzer also reports that the Australian Financial Review described the matter as the first known successful use of technology by a self-represented person in the legal arena. That characterization, and the account of Baker’s AI use, are not independently confirmed in the supplied material. The article emphasizes that the Fair Work Commission is a tribunal rather than a court and is designed to let workers bring claims without lawyers.
Kildedetaljer: switzer.com.au ↗
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The case offers a concrete example of AI being used in a real legal proceeding, while also showing why broad claims about replacing lawyers are premature. Switzer says Baker had unusual technical expertise, a narrowly defined dispute and a tribunal designed to be accessible without legal representation. Those conditions may not apply to most people with legal problems.
Switzer presents Baker’s result as evidence that AI can reduce one barrier to justice: the cost and difficulty of preparing a narrowly focused claim. The source places this in Australia’s “missing middle,” referring to people who cannot afford private legal assistance but earn too much to qualify for free legal aid. It does not provide evidence that AI has solved that broader access problem.
The article also identifies limits that matter for evaluation. Baker reportedly had computing expertise and unusual skill managing AI agents, while his dispute concerned a specific casual-conversion provision and one teaching unit. Switzer says less expert use can produce broad “kitchen sink” filings containing weak or nonsensical claims, potentially increasing workload while reducing . The source reports a 70% workload increase at the Fair Work Commission over three years, but supplies no independent verification or methodology for that figure.
The practical implication is that AI may be most useful as a preparation aid for capable users in simple, well-defined matters, with human responsibility remaining essential for checking law, facts and procedure. The report does not show that AI independently provided legal advice, made binding decisions or replaced a lawyer.
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Watch whether self-representation and tribunal caseloads continue to rise, whether courts develop stronger responses to inaccurate AI-generated filings, and whether AI meaningfully helps people in the “missing middle” who cannot afford private lawyers but do not qualify for legal aid. The source does not establish how much AI-generated material Baker used, which tools produced it, or whether the outcome would generalize to courts or more complex disputes.
Switzer expects self-representation and case numbers to grow beyond the Fair Work Commission if AI continues lowering the initial barrier to filing. The source does not quantify the increase attributable to AI or identify which other courts or tribunals are adopting specific AI policies.
The article says courts and tribunals are confronting inaccurate filings, hallucinations and AI-generated “slop.” It also reports claims that litigants and lawyers in some overseas jurisdictions have embedded prompts in digital documents to manipulate AI-based document-review systems. Switzer provides no named examples or independent verification of those reports.
No general access terms or pricing are established. Baker reportedly used paid tools, and ChatGPT Pro is named, but the article gives no cost, subscription requirement, tool configuration, output record or test of accuracy. It also does not establish whether similar tools are permitted or suitable in more complex court proceedings.