Sydney has emerged as the Australian city most engrossed with artificial intelligence (AI), with an average of 3,615 monthly searches per 100,000 residents relating to AI, according to a study conducted by Melbourne-based SEO firm, Impressive. The study analysed the average monthly Google searches from the past year for 386 search terms related to AI in general and 76 search terms related to AI plagiarism.

Melbourne came in second with 2,954 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents, while Brisbane, Queensland, secured the third spot with 2,772 searches. Other cities in the top 10 for AI obsession include Adelaide, Perth, Ballarat, Canberra, Cairns, Toowoomba, and Townsville.

On the other hand, Toowoomba, Queensland, has been identified as the Australian city most concerned about AI plagiarism, with 57 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents relating to AI plagiarism, more than twice the national average. Other cities with high concern for AI plagiarism include Ballarat, Canberra, Cairns, and Townsville.

"AI can be a very powerful tool with many applications, but it can also provide many pitfalls if used incorrectly or in the wrong setting. It has made it easy to produce large quantities of written work quickly, which can prove tempting for students and others to use to plagiarise rather than submit their own work," said Robert Tadros, CEO and Founder at Impressive.

"This enthusiasm for the potential good uses for AI and concern about AI plagiarism prompted this study to see which area of Australia was most obsessed with AI and which was most concerned by AI plagiarism," Tadros added.

"Sydney came out on top for the Australian city most obsessed with AI, and Toowoomba came out on top for concern about AI plagiarism, searching for AI plagiarism-related topics at a rate more than twice the national average," Tadros concluded.

The study used Google Keyword Planner to collect and analyse the search terms and volumes, aiming to identify which Australian cities with over 100,000 residents are most obsessed with AI and which cities are most concerned about AI plagiarism.