Welcome to AI Pulse – KPMG’s quarterly survey of how organisations are adopting, scaling and governing AI in real time.
Each edition highlights the shifts that matter most and helps organisations understand not just where AI is headed globally, but what it means in their local Australian context.
AI commitment is strong, but value realisation is the next step
Australian organisations are demonstrating remarkable commitment to AI.
- 89% of Australian organisations say AI will remain a top investment priority
- 83% report active CEO ownership of AI initiatives
- Australia outperforms global peers on both measures
The challenge now, is putting the frameworks in place to safely scale AI across the enterprise.
AI is delivering value, but few organisations demonstrate ROI at scale
Australian organisations are seeing positive results from AI investments. However, only a small proportion are consistently demonstrating return on investment.
Agentic AI is shifting the focus from experimentation to execution
Governance maturity will determine how confidently organisations scale
Organisations report high confidence in AI governance frameworks, but concerns remain around privacy, data quality, compliance and transparency. Organisations best positioned for long-term success embed governance into their daily operations, rather than treating it as a compliance exercise.
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Workforce transformation: moving from intent to impact
Australian organisations are placing growing importance on workforce readiness as a driver of AI success.
Organisations investing in capability building, role redesign and new ways of working are better positioned to convert AI adoption into measurable productivity and performance gains. |
Top AI priorities in Australia
As AI adoption matures, Australian organisations are prioritising outcomes that deliver measurable business value.
Case study
Learn how Ausgrid piloted AI-enabled procurement decision support.
How KPMG can help
KPMG helps organisations turn AI ambition into real, responsible impact.
Talk to the team
Levi Watters
Head of Digital Build Services & National Sector Lead, Telecommunications
KPMG Australia
- anthony
- levi
- john m
- andrea
- nicola
- deborah
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Frequently asked questions
| Australian organisations are showing strong AI maturity and outperforming global peers on investment commitment, value realisation, governance confidence and executive ownership. |
AI ROI is difficult to measure early because many Australian organisations are prioritising trust, governance and security over immediate productivity gains. While this focus is important for responsible and scalable AI adoption, it means fewer organisations are realising measurable returns.
AI agents are enabling organisations to move beyond basic automation to more autonomous, adaptive ways of working. By combining advanced reasoning, planning, data and governance, they can make real-time decisions, collaborate with humans and automate complex processes under appropriate human oversight. The opportunity lies in redesigning how work gets done, while maintaining appropriate governance and human oversight. |
As organisations shift towards multi-agent AI systems that coordinate complex tasks, the risks around governance, accountability and oversight increase. In Australia and around the world, responsible AI is critical to ensure these systems are deployed safely, compliantly and with appropriate human control. Without strong AI governance, risk management and oversight, organisations can face regulatory, legal, reputational and financial consequences, making responsible AI essential as adoption accelerates. |
The biggest barriers are risk management, skills gaps and the complexity of integrating AI across existing systems and processes. For many organisations, execution, not strategy, is now the primary challenge. |
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