AI Outlook: Australia 2026

AI is in uncharted territory – no longer emerging yet not fully understood or mastered.

Everywhere in the conversation but far less present in its full potential inside organisations… experiments are common, impact is not.

This unique combination is creating urgency, attention and tension across every industry in Australia.

This report objectively explores all three pressure points:

• Key priorities shaping AI strategies
• Core areas of business usage
• Ongoing roadblocks preventing scale

This is community created research and analysis.

Leveraging Moxie Top Minds – an invitation-only editorial initiative housing high-performing figures redefining business and technology – this report balances in-depth market surveys with authoritative executive commentary.

A total of 520 survey responses across Australia, generating more than 250 data points. Over 30 hours of C-suite interviews with 28 influential leaders spanning 16 market sectors.

Combining market intelligence with influential opinion to replace assumption with evidence and examine AI through the lens of credible, lived experience. Guidance grounded in shared truth, not isolated opinion.

The aim? To understand what is actually working, what isn’t and why.

In this research:

• AI Priorities: Understanding current and future priorities, strategic focus areas and most important agenda items shaping AI investment and decisions.
• AI Use Cases: Highlighting practical, high-impact applications of AI that organisations are using to solve problems and create new value.
• AI Stack: Detailing the layered technologies, platforms and infrastructure that enable an organisation to build, deploy and scale AI capabilities end-to-end.
• AI Roadblocks: Assessing the technical, organisational and regulatory barriers slowing or preventing successful AI adoption and scaling.

Download the full research report here.