Australia – Australian companies are increasingly prioritising AI literacy, with 9 out of 10 organisations actively investing in developing this critical skill across their teams, a study by Seismic revealed.
This trend is driven by the fact that 83% of go-to-market (GTM) leaders believe AI will revolutionise their industry within the next five years. Additionally, an impressive 91% of GTM leaders predict that integrating AI into their strategies will lead to a 21% revenue increase during the same period.
In response, companies are intensifying efforts to build AI literacy across their teams. Notably, Australian businesses are leading the charge, prioritising AI education more than their counterparts in the US, UK, France, and Germany.
The study found that a significant number of GTM leaders have already rolled out AI-focused training initiatives, with 77% targeting current employees and 76% extending these programs to new hires. Australian chief revenue and sales officers are particularly ahead, with 86% actively upskilling their existing workforce in AI competencies.
Additionally, most respondents have introduced custom AI training programs tailored to generational learning styles, underscoring that education will be as vital to success as the AI technology itself.
The rollout of AI-focused initiatives comes as GTM leaders plan to boost technology investments by nearly 20% by 2025, despite ongoing scepticism around AI. In fact, the study found that 94% of respondents identified AI advancements as a key driver of increased investment. This surge is largely fuelled by new AI features that provide deeper insights into ROI, with 87% citing the ability to clearly demonstrate the impact of enablement as a major factor behind this push.
However, despite growing interest in AI investment, adoption challenges remain. The study revealed that less than half (41%) of respondents cited financial constraints, likely influenced by current economic conditions, as a major barrier to implementing AI-powered solutions.
Generational differences in leadership also present significant challenges, with half of the respondents indicating that these disparities hinder efforts to secure buy-in for new technologies. Additionally, 50% noted that the term “AI” carries a stigma, causing nearly 43% to refrain from using it in official communications, even when AI solutions are being implemented.
Despite challenges, the study revealed a prevailing sense of optimism, with 88% of respondents anticipating greater acceptance of AI across all generations within the next five years. Furthermore, 69% expect this reliance on AI to continue growing over the coming year.
Romain Brun, director of business operations at CybelAngel, said, “This data certainly confirms the vision of enablement becoming a more strategic function. AI decreases time on tactical and time-consuming tasks for enablement professionals to focus more on being strategic partners for the business. With technology evolving and blending different functions of enablement, enablement investments are now seen by leadership as a comprehensive and strategic driver for results across the entire organisation.”
“Enablement teams have become increasingly influential, driving strategic change and leveraging AI to optimise their processes and initiatives within their organisations—earning them a seat at the table with their GTM leadership and C-suite,” said Paige O’Neill, chief marketing officer at Seismic.
“The data is clear: if businesses are not looking to enablement technology to shorten the buying cycle and keep pace with customer expectations, they will be left behind. Thriving in today’s dynamic market requires agility and adaptability, which enablement leaders are delivering in spades thanks to AI-powered technology like Seismic,” O’Neill added.
