The Work AI Index 2026: Australia
Botsitting, botshitting, and the hidden human labour of AI at work
Australia moved fast on AI. 90% of Australian digital workers use it and say it saves them 10 hours every week. But only 10% say their organisation is performing significantly better because of it.
So where is that time going?
Into the work no one planned for: feeding AI context, checking outputs, fixing mistakes, and cleaning up the confident-but-wrong answers AI leaves behind. This report from the Work AI Institute explores what happens when AI adoption moves faster than the operating model around it.
You’ll learn:
- Where AI’s time savings go.
Australian workers spend 6.5 hours a week botsitting — more time than they spend using AI to do the work. - Why fast adoption is creating strain.
43% of Australian workers feel worn out by AI tools, and 57% use unapproved or non-compliant AI tools. - How botsitting turns into botshitting.
77% of Australian AI users admit to shipping work they haven’t verified, don’t fully understand, or can’t confidently stand behind. - How organisations can close the operating gap.
Learn how better context, training, practical governance, and redesigned workflows help turn fast AI usage into better work.
The AI Transformation 100
100 ideas from leaders redefining how we work with AI
AI has moved fast—but transformation hasn’t. Too many organizations are still stuck between hype and results.
This report, brought to you by the Work AI Institute, distills insights from 100+ leaders into practical, evidence-backed plays for using AI to transform work.
You’ll learn:
- Five big lessons for leading through AI change.
Learn why AI doesn’t fix broken systems—it amplifies them. - Nine themes reshaping work.
From Division of Labor to Leadership, see how AI is rewiring the core of how organizations function. - Real-world examples.
Lessons from Time, Workday, Deloitte, Zendesk, Oracle, Uber, Instacart, and more. - The AI BS Quiz.
A quick gut-check to see if your organization is making real progress—or just performing innovation theater.