Australia at the forefront of AI adoption

Aussie workers seem to be trailblazers in AI adoption, according to recent research. With AI expected to have significant impacts on the future of work, these results are promising.

As highlighted in a recent survey by Avanade, Australia leads the global adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), with 76 per cent of Australian businesses using AI daily, compared to just 57 per cent globally.

The importance of continued adoption should not be understated, as the same survey revealed that 96 per cent of employees are optimistic about the impact AI will have. This is also shown in Australia’s leadership, as the confidence rating in their leaders for understanding AI and governance took the top spot at 67 per cent, followed by the US at 58 per cent.

“While businesses and IT executives are enthusiastic about driving business value with AI, the findings also reflect the increasing interest and curiosity we are witnessing from leaders and their people globally,” said Florin Rotar, chief AI officer at Avanade.

“Not only do businesses need to take action to ready their people with the essential skills needed to utilise AI effectively, but now is the time for leaders to prepare for an AI-first future by crafting well-defined and responsible strategies.”

Even the implementation of a “chief AI officer” highlights just how big of an impact this tech has on our workforce.

Employers must recognise that skills development in AI will be crucial in the future of work. In fact, 70 per cent of respondents said that by the end of 2024, employees will require new skills to keep up with the change. Meanwhile, 51 per cent believe generative AI will impact up to half of their work week.

Clearly, change is already upon us, as 87 per cent of Australian companies said they have implemented some or a complete set of guidelines/policies for responsible AI use. Similarly, 52 per cent said their workplace has complete human capital and workforce planning processes in place to safeguard headcount as generative AI is scaled.

Lourens Swanepoel, data and AI lead at Avanade Australia, believes continued adoption is necessary: “The signal from our Avanade AI Readiness Report is clear – AI will continue to be integrated into our everyday lives, reimaging the way we work, collaborate and create. Australia has always been an early adopter of emerging technology, and it is encouraging to see that Australian organisations are ready to embrace AI to augment their work. However, to fully reap the true potential of AI, businesses will need to ensure that the workforce is equipped with the skills and knowledge to effectively collaborate with AI systems in a responsible manner.”

Jack Campbell

Jack is the editor at HR Leader.