One in five Aussie workers use AI chatbots. Here’s what it means for the future of work

More young Australians are relying on artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots when it comes to doing their jobs and 17% of Australian workers use AI technology as a shortcut on the job, according to new research.

Australian comparison website Finder released research on Tuesday confirming new AI-powered technology is being used extensively in Australian workplaces.

Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that focuses on creating machines or software that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Some of the most common applications of AI technology include virtual assistants, image and speech recognition, recommendation systems, autonomous vehicles, and predictive analytics.

Now Australians are using artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat to help them with essays, summarising research, e-commerce, debugging computer programs, translating text, and even as a personal assistant. 

Finder’s survey of 666 Australian workers revealed almost one in five, equivalent to 2.3 million people, have used automated intelligence tools to help them do their work.

Young Australians are the most likely to be using AI technology on the job, with 23% of generation Z and 19% of generation Y admitting they’ve used a chatbot to do their work, compared to only 8% of baby boomers.

The research also found that while 5% use the technology daily, 12% have only used it once or twice. A further one in four, 20%, say that they would use an AI service to do their work, but haven’t yet.

Finder head of consumer research Graham Cooke said change is happening fast and workplaces need to adapt.

“There’s a tonne of new-school tech to bump up productivity in the office with more launching every day,” he said.

“Tasks that would have taken a few hours are now being completed in a few seconds.

“At the rate this space is moving, we’ll see AI re-inventing workflows in the next 12 months.”

Cooke said embracing AI technology is key to improved efficiency in the workplace.

“The introduction of AI technology such as ChatGPT has sparked fear around robots taking our jobs,” he said.

“In reality, AI will likely make some jobs more efficient, and allow creatives to produce more work by saving time.

“While it may be confronting, adapting to these new AI services is the way forward.”

According to a discussion paper by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and the Department of Industry Innovation and Science (DIIS) for an AI ethics framework to respond to issues associated with AI, digital technologies, including AI, will be potentially worth $315 billion to the Australian economy by 2028 and AI could be worth $22.17 trillion to the global economy by 2030.