Australia ranked middle of the pack in AI readiness

Australia has been ranked seventh out of 16 countries on Salesforce’s Global AI readiness Index, indicating a need to implement reforms or remain left behind in the AI era.

The Index, commissioned by Salesforce and developed by the AI Policy Lab and Access Partnerships, rates Australia well for its forward-leaning AI governance approaches and governments’ efforts to pilot AI across public services. But the research found that Australia requires improvement in both its domestic research ecosystems and capital mobilisation to capture the opportunities presented by the emerging technology.

Salesforce APAC VP for Government Affairs Sassoon Grigorian said Australia has the opportunity to use agentic AI to deliver productivity improvements for greater business growth and improved government services.

“The establishment of a National Office of AI could align strategy across government, industry, and education and training institutions to build momentum with trust,” he said. “Australia should also consider establishing an AI Safety Institute like other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Korea.”

To help foster adoption of AI within government, Salesforce has launched Agentforce for Public Sector, a platform capable of assisting government workers by autonomously handling complex and time-consuming tasks while staying within defined guardrails.

Agentforce has recently completed an Independent Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessment at the PROTECTED classification level, demonstrated the systems capability of meeting Australian government security standards for handling sensitive data.

The company has committed to investing $2.5 billion in Australia over the next five years to support AI innovation, workforce development, and sustainability initiatives. Since establishing its presence in Australia in 2004, the company has grown to have over 2,400 employees. Meanwhile the company's venture capital arm Salesforce Ventures has supported companies that now exceed $12 billion in market capitalisation, including AI investments such as Airwallex, GO1, Culture Amp, Reejig, and Q-Ctrl.

To support its Australian operations, Salesforce has moved to a new Canberra office in Barton.

Salesforce VP for Public Sector ANZ Glenn Rozet said the company is committed to helping Australian governments improve both productivity and efficiency while maintaining the highest standards of trust and security.

“We’re working to deliver a future where government frontline services have the data insights they need to anticipate customer needs, and the AI tools to improve productivity and deliver 24/7 digital-first support,” he said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Chayada Jeeratheepatanont