Livestock, medical technology and horticulture are some of the key artificial intelligence (AI) opportunity areas that could help Australia become a globally competitive AI maker and exporter, according to the National AI Centre's (NAIC) Australia's Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem - Catalysing an AI Industry report.
Building on the findings of the NAIC's 2022 AI Ecosystem Momentum Report, Catalysing an AI Industry delves into the current landscape of Australia's AI companies and research institutes, revealing a nimble and growing AI ecosystem that's on par with some of the world's AI leaders.
To accelerate this growth, the report calls on Australia to more effectively turn AI research into commercial opportunities to support existing national industry strengths.
It identifies 31 potential application domains that can help Australia become a globally competitive AI maker and exporter, and the AI innovation locations that can help catalyse the formation, growth and development of these industry-specific AI opportunities.
Key report findings
- There are 544 AI companies in Australia, a figure that is on par with other global AI leaders like Canada.
- The number of AI companies has increased substantially in the past decade, with 396 opening in the past 10 years and 204 in the past five years. This is a 7.7 per cent year-on-year growth over the past five years.
- Most of Australia’s AI companies provide data services that develop and optimise AI capabilities, including data analysis and management.
- Australia is among the global leaders in terms of AI job postings, with 1.2 per cent of all job postings in 2022 being AI-related. Demand for AI jobs has been growing faster in Australia relative to international comparisons, with the share of AI-related job postings increasing by more than 7 times between 2014 and 2022.
- Australia’s AI companies show patterns of geographic clustering with 8 hotspots across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. 54 per cent (296) of AI companies are located in these hotspots.
The report also includes insights from consultations held with 28 stakeholders across the AI ecosystem in Australia, including representatives from companies developing and adopting AI technologies and supporting services, government agencies and academic institutions.
Read the report to learn more about Australia's growing AI industry and how it can be accelerated.