PwC Australia’s 2026 CEO Survey has found that only 14 per cent of Australian companies are seeing revenue gains from AI. Globally, that number is 30 per cent. The gap between adoption and results is now the defining challenge for Australian business.
The survey paints a clear picture of where Australia sits. Only 28 per cent of Australian CEOs believe their current AI investment is enough to deliver meaningful results, compared to 40 per cent globally. The talent gap is just as stark. Only 28 per cent of Australian companies say they can attract the AI talent they need, while the global average sits at 42 per cent. PwC Australia CEO Kevin Burrowes was direct about the implications. “The AI opportunity is massive, but Australia risks falling behind on execution.”
The more interesting number in the data is what the 14 per cent who are seeing results have in common. AI exposed industries such as financial services and software are reporting productivity per employee nearly four times higher than comparable businesses. The difference is not the tools they are using. It is how they prepared their people and processes before switching those tools on.
For the other 86 per cent, the pattern is familiar. The business bought the tool, gave access to the team, and expected results. Without mapping where AI fits into existing workflows, without preparing the people whose work is about to change, and without a clear picture of what success looks like, the tool sits there. Expensive, underused, and generating no return.
The honest answer to the question Australian business owners are now asking is this, AI is worth it, but only if the people using it were ready for it. The technology was never the hard part. The question for every business owner reading this is whether their team has been given the time and preparation to make it work.
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