AUSTRALIA REPORT
Australian AI Execution Index 2026
Australian businesses have embraced AI, but adoption alone isn't translating into stronger execution. Drawing on insights from 1,000 Australian business leaders and knowledge workers, the Australian AI Execution Index 2026 reveals a growing AI scale paradox: the organisations adopting AI most widely are not necessarily those executing it most effectively.
94% of Australian organisations are already experimenting with AI
Yet only 22% qualify as "AI Executors" — Organisations combining advanced adoption with measurable improvements across multiple business outcomes.
There are two AI realities inside Australian organisations
Leaders and workers see very different pictures of AI execution. Executive Decision-Makers give their organisations an overall Index score of 75.2, compared with 58.2 among Knowledge Workers. That 17.1-point divide widens to 22.5 points in enterprise organisations, revealing a growing disconnect between AI strategy and the experience of putting it into practice.
Australia's AI scale paradox
Enterprise organisations lead on AI adoption, with 50% reporting organisation-wide or embedded use, compared with 42% of small and mid-sized organisations. Yet enterprises record a lower overall AI Execution Index score, highlighting the challenge of turning AI adoption into coordinated, measurable work as organisational complexity grows.
Are you an AI Adopter or an AI Executor?
The gap between the two is 14 index points — and it shows up in every part of the business. Get the research and find out how to close it.