Local technology services provider Datacom has welcomed the Federal Government’s new AI Capability Plan, released today, highlighting it as a critical step toward boosting national productivity amid new research showing many Australians feel unprepared for the rapid rise of AI.
Datacom’s latest report, The Productivity Pivot: AI, People and the Future of Work, reveals that:
- 89% say adopting new technology is key to lifting Australia’s productivity
- 73% believe AI will boost their efficiency
- 71% want to improve their tech literacy.
“Productivity growth has stalled, and the pressure to do more with less is mounting. AI – particularly agentic AI – presents a timely opportunity to reverse this trend, but only if we bring people along on the journey.”
“The research we commissioned showed that while nine in ten (91%) of employers say they are encouraging employees to use AI for regular work tasks, just 50% of employees are making use of AI in their day-to-day activities at work and just one in three (33%) of employees had received any technology skills training in the past 12 months.”
“Australians are open to using AI, but many don’t feel ready. The Government’s AI Capability Plan is a welcome signal – now we need coordinated action across policy, industry and education to ensure people have the skills and confidence to adopt AI safely and effectively.”
“If we want to unlock AI’s full potential, we must build public confidence. That means fair, explainable, human-centred systems supported by the right guardrails.”
“With the right policy settings, we can move from being digitally enabled to digitally empowered.”
“This is a moment to ensure AI augments the work people do – not replaces it – and that every Australian has the opportunity to benefit.”
The report outlines three key policy levers to accelerate AI adoption:
- Incentivisation — grants, subsidies and tax settings to encourage AI adoption and workforce upskilling
- Procurement — government investment in sovereign AI capability
- Regulation — a balanced, lighter-touch approach that builds public trust through transparency.