- A 2024 national survey of over 5,500 adults across all Australian states and territories found that 45.6% of the population have used generative AI, higher than the average in the UK (41%) and another domestic study (39%).
- Within the user group, 82.6% created text, 41.5% generated images, and 19.9% created programming code.
- The age gap is stark: 69.1% of people aged 18–34 use AI, while only 15.5% in the 65–74 age group have had exposure.
- Educational attainment and occupation strongly influence usage: people with a university degree (62.2%) use AI more than those who have not graduated high school (20.6%). High-skilled groups such as professionals (67.9%) and managers (52.2%) far exceed mechanics (26.7%) or blue-collar workers (31.8%).
- People who speak a language other than English at home have a usage rate of 58.1%, significantly higher than those who only speak English (40.5%), due to the benefits of translation and multilingual access.
- 13.6% of users pay for premium AI versions, with 17.5% of those belonging to the 18–34 age group.
- People in remote areas use chatbots for communication twice as much as those in urban areas (19% compared to 7.7%).
- The risk of an “AI divide” is increasing, threatening to create inequality in learning, career opportunities, and the ability to resist exposure to fake news or content watermarked by AI.
📌 About half of Australians (45.6%) have used generative AI, with 13.6% of users paying for premium AI versions, yet differences in age, education, and geographic location are forming a pronounced “AI gap.” Without policies to enhance digital skills and AI literacy, vulnerable groups may be left behind, becoming susceptible to deepfakes, AI scams, and losing socio-economic opportunities.
