Infosys' new Enterprise AI Readiness report reveals a significant gap in AI proficiency among the Australian workforce. The report, which includes insights from over 1,500 respondents across Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, suggests that Australian business leaders are underinvesting in AI training and are less optimistic about the productivity benefits AI can bring to their organisations compared to the global average.

Only 18% of ANZ companies have employees skilled in AI tools, while 23% report that their staff have the necessary knowledge to adopt AI technologies. Despite enterprises expecting an average increase of 15% in productivity from their current AI projects, with some anticipating up to 40% gains, only 2% of organisations are ready across all five key dimensions: talent, strategy, governance, data, and technology.

The biggest gaps lie in technology readiness, with only 9% of companies possessing the necessary AI capabilities like machine learning frameworks, prebuilt algorithms, and dynamic compute. Data accuracy, processes, and accessibility are significant challenges, with only about 10% of respondents reporting ease of data location and access for AI projects.

"To become enterprise-wide AI-ready and realise the promise of this technology, including gen AI, it is imperative to establish a robust and scalable foundation. Our research and learnings from our AI-first transformation journey has shown that data readiness, enterprise gen AI platform with responsible AI guardrails, and AI talent transformation are key to accelerate and democratise AI development. This must be complemented by an AI foundry and factory model for scaling AI initiatives across the enterprise," says Mohammed Rafee Tarafdar, Chief Technology Officer, Infosys.

"Our research found that Enterprise AI, including gen AI, promises to unlock up to 40% in productivity gains, yet only 2% of companies are truly ready. This readiness gap represents both a challenge and a massive opportunity. Those who act now – by building a clear AI strategy, including gen AI, establishing strong governance, and upskilling talent – will not only lead the next wave of innovation but will fundamentally reshape their industries. AI is not a distant goal; it is the prerequisite foundation for future competitiveness. The time to invest in AI readiness is now," adds Jeff Kavanaugh, Head of Infosys Knowledge Institute.