Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving from a ‘curiosity’ to a practical tool for Australian businesses.
According to research from NAB Economics released today, this shift has reduced administrative burden for early adopters and enabled them to make better decisions.
The research found that 42 per cent of Australian SMEs are already using AI, and a further 14 per cent are planning to implement it.
NAB Group digital, data and AI executive Pete Steele said Australians were by nature early adopters of technology.
“We’re seeing a clear shift from curiosity to practical application, with more companies turning to AI to save time, reduce administrative burden, and make better decisions,” he said.
“Achieving this implementation at scale across the economy has real potential to help improve Australia’s productivity and increase its global competitiveness.
“The opportunity now is to help more companies solve what can feel like complex and uncertain problems and deploy this technology safely and confidently.
Among small and medium-sized enterprises that are already using AI, adoption is the most advanced in the most practical areas of business.
- Marketing and Sales – 51%
- Operations and logistics – 39%
- Customer Service – 25%
Implementation varies widely by field.
- Leaders: Real estate services (69 percent), finance and insurance (65 percent), business services (61 percent)
- Laggards: Retail (22 percent), Transportation and Storage (21 percent), Manufacturing (35 percent)
