In the short time since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) products have turn out to be increasingly ubiquitous and advanced.
These machines aren't limited to text – they will now produce photos, videos and audio in ways in which blur the road between what’s real and what isn't real. They have also been integrated into tools and services that many individuals already use, akin to Google Search.
But who’s using this technology in Australia – and who isn’t?
Our national surveypublished today, provides some answers. The data is the primary of its kind. It shows that while almost half of Australians have used generative AI, adoption is uneven across the country. This increases the chance of a brand new “AI divide” that threatens to deepen existing social and economic inequalities.
A growing divide
The “digital divide” refers back to the gap between people or groups who can access, afford and use digital technologies and the Internet effectively and people who cannot. This gap can reinforce other inequalities and cut people off from vital services and opportunities.
Because these gaps influence the best way people engage with latest tools, there’s a risk that the identical patterns will emerge within the adoption and use of AI.
Concerns about an AI divide – raised by bodies akin to United Nations – aren’t any longer speculative.
International evidence is starting to disclose a skills gap between And inside countriesAnd across industries.
Who we heard from
We use this every two years Australian Internet Usage Survey to search out out who’s using the web in Australia, what advantages they’re getting from it and what barriers to effective use are.
We use this data to develop the Australian Digital Inclusion Index – a long-standing measure of digital inclusion in Australia.
In 2024, greater than 5,500 adults across all Australian states and territories responded to questions on whether and the way they use generative AI. This features a large national sample of First Nations communities, people living in distant and regional locations, and people who have never used the Internet before.
Other surveys have followed up Attitudes towards AI And its use.
But our study is different: It embeds questions on generative AI use right into a long-standing, nationally representative study of digital inclusion that already measures access, affordability and digital skills. These are them Core ingredients People need to profit from being online.
We don’t just ask, “Who is trying out AI?” We also connect the usage of technology to the broader conditions that enable or constrain people's digital lives.
Importantly, unlike other studies of AI use in Australia which have been collected via online surveys, our sample includes individuals who don’t use the web or who may find it difficult to finish a web based survey.
Australia’s AI divide is already taking shape
We found that 45.6% of Australians have recently used a generative AI tool. This is barely higher than the usage rates present in a Australian study 2024 (39%). Internationally, it is usually barely higher than adult use within the UK (41%), as noted in a Study 2024 by the country's media regulator.
Among Australian users, text generation is prevalent (82.6%), followed by image generation (41.5%) and code generation (19.9%). However, usage will not be uniform across the population.
For example, younger Australians usually tend to use technology than their elders. More than two-thirds (69.1%) of 18- to 34-year-olds have recently used considered one of the various generative AI tools available, in comparison with fewer than 1 in 6 (15.5%) of 65- to 74-year-olds.
Students are also frequent users (78.9%). People with a bachelor's degree (62.2%) are far more more likely to use technology than those and not using a highschool diploma (20.6%). Those who left school in grade 10 (4.2%) are among the many lowest users.
Skilled staff (67.9%) and managers (52.2%) also use these tools much more often than machine operators (26.7%) or staff (31.8%). This suggests that usage is strongly linked to skilled roles and work contexts.
Of individuals who use AI, only 8.6% use a chatbot to attach. But this number increases with increasing distance. Generative AI users in distant areas are greater than twice as more likely to use AI chatbots for conversations (19%) as users in major cities (7.7%).
About 13.6% of users pay for premium or subscription generative AI tools, with 18-34 12 months olds paying essentially the most (17.5%), followed by 45-54 12 months olds (13.3%).
Additionally, individuals who speak a language aside from English at home are significantly more more likely to report this (58.1%) than individuals who only speak English (40.5%). This may involve improvements within the capabilities of those tools to translate or access information in multiple languages.
Bridging the gap
This emerging AI divide poses several risks if it becomes entrenched, including inequalities Learn And workand increased exposure for certain individuals to Scams And Misinformation.
There are also risks arising from over-reliance on AI to make essential decisions and manage associated harms convincing AI companions.
The biggest challenge might be to advance the AI knowledge and skills of all groups. This will not be nearly that Willingness to work or productivity. People with lower digital knowledge and skills may miss out on the advantages of AI and are at higher risk of being misled by deepfakes and AI-powered scams.
These developments can easily affect the arrogance of individuals with less digital knowledge and skills. Concern about harm may cause individuals with limited confidence to further withdraw from AI use and limit their access to essential services and opportunities.
Monitoring these patterns over time and responding to them with practical support will help the advantages of AI turn out to be widely known – not only by essentially the most connected and assured people.
