As the founder of Intelligence Assist, 
supporting Australian small business owners in navigating the complex landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) is my core pursuit. The inaugural AFR AI Summit in Sydney provided a remarkable platfor
m for this—bringing together the country’s leading minds in AI to discuss the fabric of our future, intertwined with digital threads.
Key Takeaways from the Summit
Australia’s Position in AI
“Has Australia lost the AI race?” This provocative question by Melanie Silva, MD Google Australia, set the stage. The disparity between Australia’s 32nd rank in industrial robot adoption and its top 10 standing in AI research emerged as a glaring contradiction. It paints a vivid picture of a country brimming with innovative ideas yet struggling in their practical application.
Adoption and Usage
Stela Solar from the National AI Centre raised an alarm over the lag in AI adoption—only 29% of Australian businesses have adopted AI compared to a global average of 42%. This discrepancy is especially pronounced among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to a lack of support and expertise.
Interestingly, 38% of Australian employees use generative AI (GenAI) at work, with 85% of knowledge workers using it but 65% not disclosing their usage. Would you stop your accountant from using a calculator? Are you cheating when you research using the internet instead of going to the library?
Gender Disparities in AI
The Summit bravely tackled the nuanced issue of gender disparities in AI engagement. A gender trust gap was revealed; men are generally more trusting of AI than women, who have valid concerns about bias, accuracy, and privacy. Barb Hyman of Sapia.ai presented a beacon of hope with AI-driven recruitment tools that have increased female STEM applicants by 30%, illustrating AI’s potential to foster diversity and inclusion when thoughtfully applied.
A Call to Action ai summit
The Summit was a loud and clear call to action for Australia’s AI aspirations. It emphasised the need for a concerted effort to close the implementation gap, nurture talent, and ensure an inclusive AI landscape. As a founder deeply invested in these outcomes, I am inspired to advocate for and implement these changes, catalysing a future where Australian businesses not only compete but lead in the global AI arena.
The inaugural AFR AI Summit has laid down the gauntlet: Australia must rise to the challenge, embracing AI not as a distant horizon but as a present opportunity. This requires active engagement from all sectors, especially in empowering SMEs and addressing gender disparities in AI.
At Intelligence Assist, we are poised to embrace this challenge, dedicated to unravelling the complexities of AI for Australian small businesses and pushing the envelope of our collective capabilities in this thrilling digital era.
P.S. What’s your biggest challenge in adopting AI for your business? Let’s discuss in the comments!
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Written by Janey Treleaven in collaboration with GPT, Viral LinkedIn Post Formatter – we discovered this feature through one of our favourite AI newsletters – AI Vibes by Prompt Vibes.
