New research from Salesforce has revealed that more than half of Australian office workers find it challenging to extract value from Artificial Intelligence (AI), and an equal percentage do not trust the data used to train AI systems.

The study, presented at World Tour Essentials Melbourne, surveyed 1,038 full-time office workers in Australia and nearly 6,000 globally.

The research revealed that 89% of Australian office workers do not currently trust AI to operate without human oversight. Among those who do not trust AI, 62% are hesitant to use it, and the same percentage fear losing control of AI. The research suggests that for businesses to fully realise the benefits of AI, accurate data input and human oversight are essential.

Among those who do not trust AI, 95% are hesitant to adopt it, while 62% of those who do not trust AI training data are also hesitant to adopt it. The study found that 79% of workers who do not trust AI say it lacks the information needed to be useful. Furthermore, 71% of Australian workers say out-of-date public data is a barrier, while 66% say incomplete customer or company data would break their trust in AI.

The research also revealed that 88% of Australian office workers say it’s important that the AI tool uses accurate data, 87% require secure data, and 84% say holistic or complete data would help them build trust. A significant 73% of Australian office workers believe more skill-building or training opportunities can drive more trust in AI, while 62% believe more accessibility and inclusivity can do the same.

"While excitement around AI’s potential to revolutionise workplaces is high, trust is paramount for employee acceptance,” said Senior Vice President of Innovation, AI & Customer Advisory APAC at Salesforce, Rowena Westphalen. “Our research shows Australian workers value human oversight in AI operations. Businesses building trust in AI should ensure humans remain at the helm, leveraging machine speed and efficiency alongside human judgement and creativity for a more productive future.”