The AI Opportunity.
Early adopters of AI are already seeing significant benefits.
AI has become a significant part of the workflows of an increasing number of Australians – with those early adopters seeing real benefits.
32% of workers
in Australia said they were already using AI tools to help them regularly in their work lives.
10 working days
Early users of tools like Gemini in Google Workspace are already reporting saving the equivalent of 10 working days a year.
AI will expand possibilities in how we work, create and discover.
Worker performance.
AI supports workers of all abilities to upskill, and take on a wider range of more interesting and creative tasks. With AI assistance, it will become easier for workers to write more clearly, perform advanced data analysis or present their results in a graphically striking way. In one early study of the impacts of AI tools, workers using AI were 50% more effective relative to the control group.1
Creativity.
AI makes it possible for people of all different abilities to experiment with new types of creative hobbies, experimenting with pictures, videos and music. For creative professionals, AI can help with time-intensive tasks like editing, subtitling, and post-production, allowing creators to focus on storytelling and ideation. In our modelling, we find that 24% of tasks in creative occupations have the potential to be supported by AI.
Scientific Discovery.
AI can help save significant amounts of time for scientific researchers, speeding up both data analysis and administrative tasks. Models such as Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold are already accelerating basic science: making it easier for scientific researchers to understand how the molecules that go into new treatments might behave ahead of time. By integrating AI tools into pharmaceutical R&D, we estimate that biotech firms could reduce the average time for drug discovery by over 40%.
Making AI helpful for everyone.
Google’s AI mission is guided by its AI Principles of bold innovation, responsible development and deployment, and collaborative progress, to ensure that people, businesses, and governments around the world can benefit from AI’s potential while mitigating its potential risks.
Based on its recent Responsible AI Progress Report, the company employs a full-stack governance approach across the AI lifecycle, from design to testing to deployment to iteration, comprising:
1. Govern
Google’s governance is guided by its AI Principles, as well as various frameworks and policies like the Secure AI Framework and Frontier Safety Framework. They employ pre- and post-launch processes with leadership reviews to ensure alignment and regularly publish model cards and technical reports for transparency.
2. Map
Google takes a scientific approach to mapping AI risks through research and expert consultation, publishing over 300 research papers on responsible AI and safety topics and codifying this into a risk taxonomy.
3. Measure
Google employs a rigorous approach to measuring AI performance with a focus on safety, privacy, and security benchmarks. Multi-layered red teaming, involving both internal and external teams, proactively tests AI systems. Model and application evaluations are conducted pre- and post-launch to assess alignment with policies before and after launch.
4. Manage
Google deploys and evolves mitigations for content safety (filters, instructions, safety tuning), security (the Secure AI Framework), and privacy. Google also works to advance user understanding through provenance technology (like SynthID, which has been open-sourced for any developer to apply) and AI literacy education. They also support the broader ecosystem with research funding, tools, and by promoting industry collaboration.
How Google is contributing to Australia.
For over a decade, Google has been investing in AI to advance its mission to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. From key language understanding techniques, to the Transformer architecture underlying today’s generative AI revolution, Google researchers have been behind a significant number of defining AI breakthroughs.
Today, Google is expanding access to AI for millions in Australia through products like Maps, Search and Android, while helping businesses be more productive and connect with new customers. In 2024, Google Search, Google Ads, Google AdSense, Google Play, Google Cloud and Google Ad Grants helped provide $53 billion of economic activity for businesses.
Fetch
is simplifying pet healthcare.
Fetch is a pet health and data company founded in Australia by Phil Wilson-Brown, beginning with a smart, app-based pet insurance product. Designed for a new generation of pet owners, Fetch simplifies insurance by eliminating waiting periods, pre-existing condition confusion, and complex paperwork – putting everything in one easy-to-use app.
At its core, Fetch uses AI to interpret unstructured vet records, helping identify conditions, streamline claims, and offer more transparent pricing. With a team made up of vets, vet nurses, and developers, the company balances deep medical expertise with cutting-edge tech.
Participating in the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First program helped Fetch refine its AI tools and scale faster. Built entirely on Google Cloud, the company continues to work closely with Google as it expands its vision to become a full-service pet health platform, and continues to scale internationally.
“I think AI is going to completely change the way we work. People can see the potential now, and Fetch is super focused on how we can leverage it, embrace it and scale it.”
Phil Wilson-Brown
Co-Founder and CEO, Fetch
A growing AI adoption gap could reduce its potential benefits.
There is an emerging AI adoption gap in Australia. If we don’t work to reverse this gap, it could reduce the overall potential economic benefits from AI by 27%.
In particular, we found that slow adopters were more likely to be older, to have fewer formal qualifications, and to live in rural areas.
Workers need more support to boost their confidence and skills in using AI.
Australian workers reported that they didn’t have a clear understanding of how to use AI at work, and were interested in opportunities to upskill. This is an important step in ensuring meaningful adoption of AI tools.
would be interested in a better explanation of what AI is and how it works.
would be interested in training on how to use AI to automate repetitive tasks.
would be interested in training on how to effectively search for information using AI.
Google is helping to upskill the workforce.
Google’s core products help people upskill by providing instant access to educational resources, expert insights, and AI powered learning assistance, making knowledge more accessible than ever. Every week, an estimated 12 million Australian adults and 1.1 million teenagers use Google Search to learn a new skill.
Google is also helping individuals and organisations unlock new opportunities through targeted skills training and business support.
By making AI more accessible, Google is supporting Australians to stay ahead in a rapidly changing digital economy.
Springboards AI
is sparking new creative approaches.
Springboards AI, founded by husband and wife team Pip Bingemann and Amy Tucker, is an AI tool designed specifically for advertising agencies. Launched in 2022, this Queensland-based startup takes a unique approach to AI by focusing on inspiring creativity rather than providing final answers.
The platform operates on a distinctive philosophy: in creativity, there is no single right answer – it’s the weird, misunderstood outliers that often drive the best ideas. The platform leverages AI to spark new directions of thinking.
Within three years of launch, Springboards has achieved significant growth:
- Their platform is used by more than 120 advertising agencies globally.
- The company secured $5 million in seed funding.
The company’s growth was accelerated through participation in the inaugural cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First program in Sydney.