Harrison AI cuts Australian jobs as AI medtech expands into US

Australian AI medtech Harrison.ai has cut local jobs this year as it increases the use of AI tools across its operations, according to ABC News.

The company has also shifted employees towards managing AI agents, with workers now responsible for a “fleet of AI agents”.

“Every manager is a player-coach,” Harrison.ai told employees. “Every team member is an agent orchestrator.”

The restructure has resulted in redundancies, while some employees reportedly chose to leave the company.

Push into US market

The workforce changes coincide with Harrison.ai’s expansion in the US, including the launch of Frontier Radiology, a teleradiology business that employs clinicians to use its AI technology.

The company has also established a North American presence in Boston as it builds its US operations.

Harrison.ai develops AI tools that analyse CT scans and X-rays to assist with the detection and diagnosis of medical conditions. Its products are used in more than 40 countries and are available to half of Australia’s radiologists, according to the company.

Government backs global growth

Founded by brothers Aengus and Dimitry Tran in 2018, Harrison.ai has raised around $333 million and was valued at nearly $400 million early last year.

Its funding round included a $32 million investment from the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund.

At the time, National Reconstruction Fund Corporation chair Martijn Wilder said the investment would “ensure that the company continues to base its operations in Australia”.

The NRFC said the company’s shift from product development to commercialisation and global expansion had changed the skills and roles it needed.

“As a result, the mix of skills and roles needed for this phase are evolving,” NRFC said.

“NRFC remains confident about the long-term future of Harrison.ai, its commitment to scaling globally while remaining in Australia and its ability to deliver better health outcomes for millions of people across the globe.”

Privacy concerns previously raised

Harrison.ai also faced scrutiny in 2024 over a partnership with I-MED Radiology Network, which involved providing hundreds of thousands of patient scans to the company for AI development.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner conducted preliminary inquiries but did not proceed with a full investigation, saying it was “satisfied” the data had been sufficiently de-identified and was “no longer personal information for the purposes of the Privacy Act”.

Concerns were raised over whether patients had consented to their data being used. Harrison.ai said the scans were de-identified.