Ewan Watt

Founder & CEO – ROI Growth Agency | 1300 650 274 | Bachelor of Business in Marketing
25+ years digital marketing experience

AI Usage & Adoption Statistics In Australia (2026)

Australia has moved beyond early AI adoption. By 2026, generative AI usage is established across consumer behaviour, workplaces and business operations. Adoption varies by age, education and use case, but AI is no longer niche.

Scope: Australian consumer usage, workplace adoption, business indicators and access pathways

Exclusions: Predictions, global hype metrics, unverified local tool usage claims

National AI Adoption Snapshot (Australia, 2026)

Australian Surveys Conducted in 2024-25:

~49% of Australians report having used generative AI in the past 12 months
A separate national study finds ~45.6% of Australians have recently used a generative AI tool
Adoption is highest among working-age Australians (18–44)

These figures measure self-reported usage, not frequency or proficiency. They represent a clear shift from experimentation to routine use.

AI Usage by Age Group (Australia)

Usage varies substantially by age:

18–34 age bracket:

Highest adoption rates nationally

AI used for:

Study and learning
Research and explanation
Content creation
AI treated as a utility rather than a novelty

35-44 age bracket:

Rapid growth cohort

Usage focused on:

Work productivity
Research and planning
Business decision support

45-54 age bracket:

Moderate but increasing adoption

Task-specific use:

Writing assistance
Information retrieval
Comparison research

55+:

Lower adoption but steady growth

Usage driven by:

Convenience
Conversational interfaces
Simplified access to information

Australia is showing a clear age-based adoption gradient, consistent with previous digital technology cycles.

How Australians Use Generative AI

Across users, the most common applications are:

*18+ planning basis due to Australian under-16 social media restrictions effective December 2025.

AI Usage in the Workplace (Australia)

Among Australians who use AI:

74% report using AI for work-related tasks

Common workplace uses include:

Writing and editing
Brainstorming and ideation
Problem solving
Digesting long documents
Understanding complex information

This does not mean 74% of Australians use AI at work. It reflects behaviour within the user group only.

Business Adoption of AI in Australia (SMEs)

Australian Government tracking indicates:

AI adoption increases with business size
Larger SMEs adopt at substantially higher rates than micro-businesses

Common applications include:

Document processing
Generative AI assistants
Fraud detection
Predictive analytics
Marketing automation

Reported outcomes focus on:

Faster access to information
Productivity improvements
Marketing efficiency

AI adoption in Australian businesses is practical and incremental rather than transformative.

Trust and Attitudes Toward AI

Australian attitudes to AI show clear separation between use and trust:

Around half of Australians report regular AI use
Trust levels are materially lower
Concern about negative outcomes remains high

Australians are willing to use AI, but continue to verify outputs, particularly for high-impact decisions.

How Australians Access AI Tools

Australians access AI through a mix of standalone tools and embedded platforms. Vendors generally do not publish country-specific user counts, so individual tools are referenced for context only, not adoption measurement.

Dedicated articles provide detailed analysis for each platform.

Standalone AI Tools

ChatGPT is the most visible standalone AI assistant used in Australia across education, work and personal research.

Other standalone tools (e.g. Perplexity) serve smaller, more specialised audiences.

Embedded AI Platforms

Google AI is integrated into Search, Android and Workspace, exposing Australians to AI outputs without requiring explicit opt-in.
Microsoft Copilot is embedded within Windows and Microsoft 365, making it particularly relevant to workplace use.

These access pathways explain why AI exposure often exceeds self-reported “AI usage”.

What Has Not Changed

People continue to verify important information
Websites remain central for validation and conversion
Brand trust and credibility remain decisive
Human judgement remains critical for high-value decisions

AI changes how information is accessed, not how decisions are ultimately made.

Implications for Marketers and Businesses (2026)

AI is now part of the discovery and research process
Content is increasingly evaluated before it is clicked
Clear structure, accuracy and credibility matter more than volume
Video, explanations and comparisons perform consistently
Measurement must account for assisted influence, not just final interaction

Australia’s AI landscape is no longer emerging. It is operating.

Methodology & Data Notes

This article consolidates Australian AI usage data from:

National consumer survey
Large-scale digital inclusion research
Australian Government business adoption tracking
Platform-commissioned studies conducted with independent research firms

Figures represent reported usage and adoption, not projections.
Tool-level statistics are excluded unless measured in nationally representative Australian surveys.

Summary

By 2026, AI usage in Australia is established, unevenly distributed, and largely pragmatic. Adoption is driven by utility rather than enthusiasm. The primary impact of AI is on how Australians find, compare and evaluate information, not on whether decisions are made.

Australia’s AI market is not forming.
It is functioning.