ChatGPT and DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) stock is seen in Canberra, Wednesday, January 29, 2025. [Source: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas]

More than half of Australian workers are using artificial intelligence tools every day but most of their bosses say they are yet to see organisations transformed by the technology.

Atlassian released the findings from a study of more than 12,000 workers on Thursday, which also revealed three times as many Aussies were using AI tools in 2025 to claw back time in their working days.

The research mirrors estimates from a recent Tech Council report, and comes after the federal government announced plans to make investments in AI a “national priority” following its productivity roundtable.

The study, called the AI Collaboration Index, collated responses from 12,000 office workers in Australia, the US, UK, France, Germany and India, in addition to 180 executives from Fortune 1000 companies.

It found the number of workers using AI tools daily had doubled in the past year but tripled in Australia, where usage rose from 15 per cent to 56 per cent.

Australian workers estimated they were 33 per cent more productive using AI technology and saved an average of 78 minutes each day.

Fewer Aussie respondents considered AI “useless in the workplace” compared with 2024 – down nine per cent – although most considered AI to be more like a personal assistant than a creative partner.

But the research also showed few managers reported improvements to operations as a result of AI use, Atlassian teamwork Lab head Molly Sands said, with only three per cent saying it had created significant change.

“People are using AI a lot more than last year right across the globe but what we are not seeing yet is this company-wide transformation and really profound change,” she told AAP.

“People are able to do individual types of tasks faster, which is great, but translating that into better teamwork, getting everyone moving in the same direction, helping align people, giving people the context and information they need is not broadly happening yet.”

Only two per cent of executives said work quality had improved with the introduction of AI and four per cent said it had improved efficiency.

Organisations looking to improve productivity using AI were the least likely to see benefits, the report found, and more than one in three executives said AI had led to wasted time or poor guidance.

The biggest early gains from AI technology were among engineering and information technology workers, the report found, but Ms Sands said companies seeking to make big changes should provide access to more workers and give AI tools access to more data.

“Across the board, it’s actually turning out to be a lot more valuable when you really give them room to play with that technology,” she said.

“We’re still seeing pretty deep knowledge silos and this is the place where I think organisations really need to think about working in a different way in order to make the most of AI.”

Despite modest organisational changes, the report found executives expected only one third of work would be fully produced by humans within five years.

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