ResearchSovereign AI
Australians don’t want to rent their AI future. They want to own it.
92% of Australians want domestic AI capability built locally rather than imported, but only 12% are willing to sacrifice safety standards to get it faster.
Key findings
- 64% of Australians support the government’s national AI strategy, though most support is tepid, described as ‘somewhat’ rather than strong conviction
- 37% want Australia to build its own AI capability even if it moves slower, with another 43% backing a mixed approach of local and overseas tools
- 44% of working Australians expect their job will be significantly changed or replaced by AI within five years
- 91% of workers predicting major job disruption from AI are already using the technology themselves, with 78% already deploying it in their current roles
- Trust in government to set AI policy correctly rises to 65% among workers expecting significant job impact, compared to 43% overall
- Only 21% of AI-forward workers prioritise speed over caution in AI development, with 12% across the full population wanting regulatory speed over safety
- 43% of Australians trust government to get AI rules right, rising to 65% among those expecting personal job disruption
- Only 7% of Australians are content to rely entirely on overseas-built AI tools rather than develop local capability
What it means
Australians have moved beyond abstract anxiety about AI to concrete conclusions based on hands-on experience. Those using the technology are forecasting its labour market impact with clarity, and they simultaneously want both safety guardrails and domestic ownership of AI development.
The survey reveals a public mandate not for deregulation but for government to prioritise Australian AI companies as a strategic asset. The gap between general support for the national strategy and conviction that government will follow through signals scepticism about implementation rather than strategy itself. Without visible commitment to backing local AI businesses over overseas imports, political support for the policy framework will erode.