Australia has the opportunity to become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2028, according to a new report released in June by the Business Council of Australia (BCA). The report, titled “Accelerating Australia’s AI Agenda,” sets out a roadmap for national productivity, innovation, and economic growth through AI adoption, arguing that urgent action is needed to close the gap with leading nations.
The BCA says their goal is ambitious but achievable: to position Australia as a top-tier AI nation within three years. In the report’s foreword, the BCA says doing so will require a coordinated effort across government, industry, and education.
The report identifies six foundational pillars necessary to build a thriving AI ecosystem in Australia: adoption, skills, regulation, infrastructure, data, and research & development. It calls for a mindset shift among policymakers and business leaders to embrace AI not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a national economic opportunity.
Among the specific recommendations is the creation of a national AI skills plan to address current gaps in workforce readiness. The report also urges faster development of safe, adaptive regulatory frameworks, increased access to infrastructure, and improved coordination of public-sector data.
While noting that Australia has strengths in areas like digital infrastructure and public trust in institutions, the report warns that the country is falling behind global AI leaders such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.
To overcome being a consumer of other nations’ technologies, the BCA lays out a series of short- and long-term actions, including a call for public-private partnerships to drive AI adoption in priority sectors like health, energy, and defense. The report also proposes incentives for Australian firms to integrate AI into their operations, particularly small and medium enterprises.
The report emphasizes that AI is not just a technology issue—it’s a productivity issue. The report goes on to say that if adopted at scale, AI could add tens of billions to the national economy and help reverse Australia’s declining productivity trend.
The BCA’s vision includes benchmarking Australia’s AI progress against global indices and building sovereign capabilities that allow Australian researchers and companies to remain competitive in key areas of AI development.
Finally, the report advocates a human-centric approach to AI deployment that prioritizes transparency, fairness, and social benefit—values it claims will define responsible leadership in the AI age.
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