AUS
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Highlights
- Two-thirds of Australians use AI at work; confidence levels are high.
- Employers struggle to see expected returns on AI investments.
- AI roles and job ads have decreased significantly in recent years.
Almost two-thirds of Australians surveyed are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) at work, with a remarkable 96% expressing confidence in using the technology for complex tasks. Despite this high adoption rate, employers report difficulty in realizing the expected returns on their AI investments. According to a survey conducted by HR platform Workday (WDAY), which polled over 2,500 individuals across continents, around 65% of respondents confirmed that their employers had introduced AI, slightly above the global average.
Kathy Pham, Workday's Vice President of AI, believes the real figure might be even higher, as many companies have incorporated AI into their operations stealthily. She noted, "I think if you look at the history of all of AI, we all have used AI without actively knowing it."
The survey highlighted that companies are increasingly focusing on determining which processes should be automated. It found that 83% believed AI could enhance human creativity, largely because AI could handle initial versions of work, freeing employees to be even more creative. "AI has a component there to help us with our creativity… we take the results from it and we’re able to find more creative ways to run our organizations," Ms. Pham added.
Moreover, around 80% of respondents said AI could help workers develop new skills, potentially due to time saved in creating documents. Despite these optimistic perspectives, some Australian companies appear to be re-evaluating their AI strategies. In a 2024 survey by Cisco (CSCO), 56% of companies received a "reality check," discovering that AI investments had not met expectations, causing 70% of investors to reconsider active deals concerning AI.
Despite AI's challenges, companies continue to allocate considerable resources, with estimates showing that 10 to 30% of IT budgets are earmarked for AI technologies. Yet hiring trends for AI roles seem to have slowed. According to recent data from JobAdder, advertised AI roles have dropped by 35% over two years, from a peak after ChatGPT's launch to significantly fewer by the end of 2024.
This trend might indicate reduced hiring momentum or perhaps a lower turnover rate, as individuals with AI expertise receive lucrative pay offers to remain with their current employers.
