Australian workers embrace AI, but hide it at work

Employment Hero has published research showing Australian workers are widely using artificial intelligence tools at work, even as many remain reluctant to admit it. The findings point to a gap between employee behaviour and employer perceptions.

The report found that 75 per cent of AI users in Australia said the technology had improved their productivity, while 74 per cent said it had lifted the quality of their work. A further 61 per cent said AI was helping them develop more valuable skills, a higher level than reported in the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

Yet the same research suggested many employees still feel uneasy about that reliance. More than four in 10 Australian workers said using AI to complete parts of their job felt like cheating, while one in three said they used AI without their employer knowing.

That unease appears to sit alongside rapid workplace adoption. Nearly half of Australian businesses said employees were using personal AI accounts for work tasks, suggesting day-to-day use has spread faster than internal rules and management discussions.

The perception gap

The data also highlighted a mismatch between how leaders view AI adoption and how employees experience it. While 60 per cent of employers believe staff view AI positively, many workers said they were still uncertain about where the boundaries lie and how openly they could use the tools in their jobs.

Many appear to be learning without formal workplace support. More than half of workers surveyed said they had taught themselves AI through YouTube, TikTok and other online platforms rather than through employer-led training.

James Keene, APAC managing director at Employment Hero, said businesses need to provide clearer direction. "It's understandable that many businesses are still working out what AI should look like in their workplace. The technology is evolving quickly and there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, but what we're seeing is that when employers provide clear guidance and practical support, people are far more confident using AI in ways that benefit both the business and their own development."

He said one of the more striking aspects of the research was the tension felt by workers seeing the strongest results from AI use. "One of the most surprising findings was that the people getting the most value from AI are often the ones feeling the most conflicted about using it. They're using AI to do better work, learn faster and take on more, but many are still wondering whether they're relying on it too much or whether others will judge them for using it."

The report argued that workplace debate is moving beyond whether AI should be used at all. "The conversation is shifting from whether people should use AI to how organisations can help them use it confidently and responsibly. Most employees are already finding value in these tools - they just need clarity around what's encouraged and what's expected."

Workforce change

Beyond day-to-day use, the findings offered a view of how employers expect AI to reshape jobs. Rather than predicting a simple reduction in staff numbers, most business leaders surveyed said they expected roles to change shape.

According to the research, 23 per cent of Australian business leaders said new roles would be created because of AI, while 55 per cent said existing roles would be refocused. Only 17 per cent said they expected their workforce to look the same in 12 months.

Employment Hero said businesses were 1.6 times more likely to expect role creation than redundancies. The research also found that businesses with advanced AI adoption were increasing entry-level hiring at more than double the rate of organisations with basic or no AI adoption.

That finding runs against a common concern that AI will shrink opportunities for junior workers. Instead, the report suggested employers with stronger AI adoption are placing greater weight on work ethic, communication skills, adaptability and AI literacy when hiring.

Dr Anna Kiaos, researcher, discipline of psychiatry and mental health at UNSW Sydney, said the pattern reflected uncertainty rather than resistance. "AI is already making people better at their jobs - more productive, doing higher-quality work and developing new skills. The only thing holding the workforce back now isn't the technology, it's uncertainty about whether employees are actually allowed to use it in the ways that work for them. The workforce has already voted for AI with its behaviour, and now it is leadership's job to make it official by talking about it openly, confidently and with support. When leaders use AI openly and show their teams 'this is how we work now,' the guilt and shame fall away and the gains start to compound."

She also challenged the idea that AI adoption necessarily weakens the entry-level job market. "The fear that it would hollow out entry-level work is being contradicted by the evidence: AI-forward businesses are hiring more staff, not fewer. AI is accelerating people's potential instead of replacing it."

Keene said caution among workers was understandable given the pace of change. "It makes complete sense that some people are cautious about AI right now. The technology has moved incredibly quickly, and many workplaces are still figuring out what good AI use looks like."

He added that hidden use of AI often reflected uncertainty rather than misconduct. "When staff feel they have to hide their AI use, it's rarely because they're trying to break the rules. More often, they're simply unsure whether it's genuinely encouraged. For leaders, it's about removing that uncertainty and giving people the confidence to use these tools safely."

He said Employment Hero experienced the same shift internally. "We went through this shift ourselves last year when we made AI-first a company value - the biggest shift wasn't the tools, it was leadership using them in front of everyone first."