Navigating AI anxiety: A/NZ organisations in 2025

Meet our respondents

We surveyed 300 professionals from both enterprises and SMBs in Australia and New Zealand. The respondents included C-level executives, senior managers, and AI and software professionals. The study also explored opinions across sectors like IT services, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and education among others.

120

Organisations with 50-199 employees

SMB

180

Organisations with 200 or more employees

Enterprise

250

Australia

50

New Zealand

Top industries surveyed

Services

32%

Production

19%

Distribution

11%

Education

6%

Construction

10%

Retail trade

12%

Embracing AI

93% of A/NZ organisations have implemented AI technology in business processes.

While 61% of A/NZ businesses have implemented AI at an organisational level, 32% have
implemented it in only select business functions.

Enterprises in A/NZ seem more open to adopting AI

Organisation-wide
implementation

61%

Implemented in
specific Business Unit

32%

Planning to

7%

00

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Total implemented: 93% | SMBs: 89% | Enterprises: 95%

Most organisations find implementation of AI most
beneficial for enhanced efficiency, automation,
productivity, and customer experience. This is followed
by improved decision making with better analytics along
with enhanced cybersecurity.

Enhanced efficiency, automation and productivity

Better customer
experience

AI anxiety and human impact

A/NZ organisations are striving to keep pace in the global AI race, embracing the
technology with a mix of enthusiasm and apprehension.

63% of survey respondents believe they can't afford to
not adopt AI.

57% of organisations feel anxious about integrating AI
into their business processes.

43% of organisations need a clear plan to manage the
human impact.

How are organisations overcoming AI anxiety?

While 59% of senior ICT and business employees in the region reported they feel
pressured to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology, they also admitted that stress
could have been much higher had they not received any help. This is supported by 70% of
the respondents stating their organisations have been effective in addressing employee
stress caused by AI.

59%

Frequently feel stressed related to
keeping up with the changes in Al
frequently

70%

see their organisations current strategies in addressing employee stress caused by Al as effective

Some strategies that organisations are adopting to mitigate the impact of employee stress caused by AI include:

Use AI to support, not replace, human roles

Provide AI training

Encourage AI upskilling along with promoting flexible working arrangements

A/NZ organisations recognise
the need to fill AI-related skill gaps

97%

A/NZ businesses say they lack some form of AI skills, highlighting the need for upskilling in integrations, machine learning, and model training.

Other skills that are lacking:

Ability to provide AI-related training for employees

44%

Cloud computing/big data management

41%

AI solutions integration (software development and engineering)

41%

Machine learning/deep learning and model training

40%

AI governance and compliance

40%

Data science and analytics

38%

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

75%

of respondents claim that the strategies implemented by their organisations have been effective in assisting employees to incorporate AI in their workflows.

A/NZ businesses are working to bridge the skills
gap through various measures, including AI
coaching and mentoring, training workshops,
online courses, and certifications. Having said
that, learning AI on job still remains the most
prominent way of upskilling.

Building trust in AI governance

75%

ICT professionals and leaders surveyed are confident in their organisation’s mandates/policies in ensuring the ethical use of AI.

67%

A/NZ organisations claim their employees trust the output of AI tools. While both enterprises and SMBs manage BYO AI apps, ‌40% of SMBs say they feel anxious about AI due to the lack of ability to manage BYO AI apps, but in contrast, larger organisations apply strict monitoring and safeguards.

50%

respondents said their organisation's AI governance frameworks include data privacy and security controls—enterprises slightly more than the SMBs.

Future of AI adoption in A/NZ

75%

senior employees see clear benefits using AI in the workplace. In
fact, 74% of respondents overall feel inspired by how AI is being
used creatively or innovatively.

Businesses view AI as a critical force capable of reshaping their
culture and values, though some concerns remain—concerns that
A/NZ organisations are actively working to overcome.

Conclusion

AI adoption has become inevitable, and there is a global race to
embrace AI as soon as possible. Most A/NZ employees and
organisations lean positively towards AI adoption and are already
embracing it or plan to soon. The study also showcases that there is a
good understanding of where the concerns or gaps exist. However,
organisations, with crucial support from employees, seem to be
working towards overcoming them and beating the AI anxiety.

The workforce is feeling the AI shift, and organisations are enabling the shift, but there is a need to do more.
Organisations have identified the AI skill gap and are racing to close it. Employees strongly trust organisations when it comes to supporting staff in the AI transition.
Customer enterprise data privacy and security-lead AI governance frameworks are a priority for most organisations.
While there is some stress and pressure to play catch up with AI, this stress could have been much higher without organisations stepping in to help.
Employees strongly believe their organisations are acting ethically when it comes to implementing and leveraging AI.

Want to learn more on how A/NZ
organisations are navigating AI anxiety?

Download the report