Analysis from Google and Accenture means that an growing variety of Australians and companies are utilizing synthetic intelligence, which can not come as a shock. Nonetheless, there’s a vital disparity within the variety of staff who really feel geared up to make use of AI, and what C-suite executives understand that quantity to be.
Google polled 1,000 Australians and located that 49% used generative AI within the final 12 months, up from 38% in 2023. This rise is accompanied by a brand new stage of optimism. The proportion of people that imagine AI will profit them elevated by 6%, and the share who assume it can change work for the higher inside 5 years rose by 7%.
Accenture surveyed 790 C-suite executives and 687 non-C-suite stage staff throughout 5 Asia Pacific international locations, together with Australia, for its Pulse of Change report. A whopping 87% of the leaders stated they deliberate to spice up their AI funding in 2025, and 91% imagine their staff are ready to make use of the expertise effectively.
Staff really feel otherwise, although: Solely 70% really feel ready to make probably the most of AI at work. Moreover, simply 30% of them declare to know the potential worth of GenAI “to an important extent,” in comparison with 55% of APAC C-suite leaders.
Whereas 70% of staff really feel they’ve obtained satisfactory AI coaching, 91% of C-suite leaders imagine their staff are arrange to make use of it. This means the AI coaching being supplied could not meet staff’ particular wants.
SEE: Australian IT Expertise Scarcity and Self-Upskilling
The Accenture analysis additionally checked out staff’ issues round AI, which can shine gentle on the areas the place coaching needs to be centered. Non-users of AI at work cite issues about inaccuracies (27%), lack of sources (26%), and integration struggles (22%).
AI skilling has been recognized as a key hole in Australia, with many staff persistently saying their organisations speak about AI instruments however don’t spend money on the folks utilizing them. The nation wants 312,000 further tech staff by 2030 to satisfy demand, or greater than 60,000 new entrants yearly within the tech workforce.
In December, Australia introduced plans to develop a nationwide AI technique to strengthen its AI capabilities and appeal to funding, aiming to unlock the $600 billion of productiveness potential of those applied sciences. Microsoft additionally dedicated to equipping a million folks throughout Australia and New Zealand with important AI abilities by 2026.
Matt Coates, expertise lead for Accenture in Australia and New Zealand, stated in a press launch: “Too many organisations view generative AI solely as a technological answer, somewhat than as a driving pressure to rethink expertise methods.
“Whereas investments in AI proceed to develop, many nonetheless face vital challenges in understanding, coaching, and implementation.”
AI abilities hole needs to be addressed to arrange for steady change
Each reviews counsel that Australian companies are conscious that modifications associated to AI adoption are ongoing. Google’s survey discovered that 54% of staff hope that automation will free them as much as deal with extra rewarding work, however 46% assume that it’s going to put stress on them to do extra with fewer sources.
Over time, Australians are getting extra optimistic, confirming that sure points of AI doomerism have been overblown. As an example, the portion of respondents who assume that jobs and industries will change for the higher inside the subsequent 5 years due to AI elevated by 7% in a 12 months.
Fewer Australians now assume their roles will likely be absorbed by AI, with the share dropping from 20% in 2023 to 12% in 2024.
“It’s unimaginable to see Australia transfer past experimentation to motion, harnessing AI to create real-world advantages — and it’s thrilling to consider the potential advantages to our economic system,” stated Mel Silva, managing director of Google Australia and New Zealand, in a weblog put up.
SEE: 5 Generative AI Traits to Watch in 2025
The Accenture respondents additionally predict shifts, with 79% of staff believing their roles will likely be impacted, and 69% of executives anticipating the next stage of change in 2025 than 2024. Nonetheless, 61% of those leaders say their organisations are much less ready for such change this 12 months than final.
Particularly, the executives say they don’t seem to be ready for geopolitical (66%), expertise (58%), and financial (63%) disruptions. Staff agree, with 68% unconvinced of their firm’s resilience. This emphasizes how addressing the aforementioned abilities hole needs to be a precedence.
“Solely a 3rd of executives have a transparent imaginative and prescient for a way generative AI will influence their workforce,” Coates stated. “This emphasises the significance of a strategic method that harmonizes expertise and human expertise to totally realise the facility of reinvention that gen AI offers.”