Australian workers are leaning into artificial intelligence with a level of confidence that may surprise those who see the technology as a looming threat. A new report from the Tech Council of Australia shows that most people believe AI will improve their jobs, not replace them. Yet as the enthusiasm builds, questions about who really benefits from this wave of change are coming to the fore, with economists, academics and policymakers now pushing the debate into deeper territory.
The Future Ready: Australians and AI Workplace Tech report, released this week, paints a clear picture of how embedded technology already is in working lives. It found 93 per cent of workers think AI will augment their jobs rather than take them away, while 72 per cent said technology had improved their lives over the past decade. Younger workers, particularly men, emerged as the most optimistic about what AI can deliver.
The adoption is already here: 84 per cent of office workers said they are using AI in their roles. While the national debate has been dominated by cost-of-living pressures, housing, inflation and healthcare, emerging technology sits much lower on the list of concerns.
Tech Council CEO Damian Kassabgi said the report shows Australians are willing to engage with AI if it makes their work better. “There is a willingness from the workforce to engage and augment their jobs with AI,” he said. “That’s not to say there is zero concern, the main concerns raised by Australians on adopting new technologies relate to privacy, training and being involved in future decision making. But it’s positive to see that overall, Australians are optimistic and open minded.”
He added that regulation is critical. “Our research found 49 per cent of Australian workers do not think government officials understand technology well enough to regulate it effectively. This perception needs to shift and that means government must lead by example,” Mr Kassabgi said. “That’s why the TCA continues to call for fit-for-purpose, interoperable and risk-based regulatory frameworks that facilitate domestic AI investment, talent and innovation. A clear, flexible and interoperable regulatory framework will give developers and organisations the confidence to invest in AI for the future, so Australia is not just a net consumer of AI, but a world leader.”
The findings give political leaders a platform to link AI to their wider agenda. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, writing in a joint opinion piece, said the government wanted Australians to see technology as a driver of good jobs. “We want to make sure Australian workers and Australian business have the skills and safeguards to get the best out of new technology, including AI. In such a fast moving space we must get the balance right: maximising the productivity benefits while protecting people from potential risks. Ensuring AI is a creator of good jobs, not a threat to them,” they wrote.
They placed AI within the broader context of industrial policy. “We are committed to making more things here in Australia. This is why we want to get on with fixing the broken approvals process, so households and industry alike can seize the opportunities of cleaner and cheaper energy to bring down their bills and power the next generation of manufacturing jobs,” they said. “These are significant challenges but the last three years offer compelling proof that Australia is more than capable of rising to meet them.”
But optimism is not universal. Ahead of the Economic Reform Roundtable, Monash University’s Professor Geoff Webb warned that the lack of sovereign capability leaves the country exposed. “Australia’s economic prosperity is at a crossroads as artificial intelligence, often heralded as the answer to the nation’s stagnant productivity, begins to reshape the workforce,” he said. “While AI promises greater efficiency, it simultaneously poses the risk of replacing Australian workers with automated systems. The movement of wages and salaries away from households and toward tech corporation service fees, particularly those owned overseas, threatens to drain vital income from the Australian economy.”
Professor Webb said the issue was structural. “Without a robust domestic AI sector, Australia stands to lose significant revenue as fees for AI-powered services flow offshore. Unless Australia is able to generate its own income from providing AI solutions or enables Australians to leverage AI for substantial value creation, the nation risks falling behind in the global digital economy.”
His prescription is blunt: invest in sovereign capability and in the skills of Australians. “The solution is clear: Australia must urgently invest in building sovereign AI capability. It is essential that local businesses cultivate expertise to not only reduce operational costs through AI but also to enhance the quality and competitiveness of their products and services. For Australia to develop AI solutions that can compete internationally, a highly skilled domestic workforce is required.”
That workforce is not coming through quickly enough. “Australia currently offers a range of excellent Master of AI programs, designed to provide this upskilling. However, the overwhelming majority of students in these courses, sometimes more than 95 per cent, are international. While the rest of the world recognises the importance of AI skills, there is a concerning lack of Australian participation in these programs,” he said.
Webb argued that industries central to the country’s prosperity need to lead the uptake. “To secure the nation’s future, Australians from key industries such as mining, agriculture, finance, and construction should be encouraged to pursue AI expertise, positioning themselves as leaders in their respective fields during this period of transformation. If Australians do not lead these changes, others will, and the Australian economy will be theirs to plunder.”
The tension is now clear. Workers are using AI and report being better off for it. Government is encouraging adoption with the promise of jobs and industry. But the risk that Australia could be left a customer rather than a creator of AI technology hangs over the debate. For now, the national mood is optimistic, but the long-term challenge is whether optimism can be converted into capability at home.
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