AI Readiness for Australian Businesses
Every business will use AI eventually. The question is whether you will be early enough to gain a competitive advantage, or late enough that you are playing catch-up. Find out where you stand today.
75%
Of AU Businesses Plan to Use AI by 2027
47%
Of Tasks Can Be Automated
4-6 wks
Average Time to First Results
5-10x
Typical First-Year ROI
Score yourself on these five pillars. If you tick three or more, your business is ready to start implementing AI today.
Do you have tasks your team does the same way every time? Email responses, data entry, invoice processing, scheduling. These are your AI quick wins.
✓ If yes, you are ready for automation
Are your business records mostly digital? Emails, spreadsheets, CRM entries, accounting software. AI needs digital data to work with. Paper-only businesses need to digitise first.
✓ If yes, AI can start working immediately
Do you use business software like Xero, HubSpot, Google Workspace or industry tools? AI integrates with these to automate workflows across your existing stack.
✓ If yes, integration is straightforward
Is your team spending significant time on tasks that feel like busywork? Admin, reporting, follow-ups, data shuffling. The bigger the pain, the bigger the AI win.
✓ If yes, ROI will be immediate
Are you looking to grow without proportionally increasing headcount? AI lets you scale operations without scaling admin. Do more with the team you have.
✓ If yes, AI is your growth lever
3 or more ticked? Your business is AI ready. The next step is identifying which processes to automate first for maximum impact.
Get a free assessment →Getting started with AI does not require a massive transformation. Follow this practical framework used by hundreds of Australian businesses.
Map every task your team does in a typical week. Identify which are repetitive, rule-based and time-consuming. These are your automation candidates. Most businesses find 10 to 15 processes on the first pass.
Rank each process by time consumed and business impact. The sweet spot is tasks that are high-frequency, low-complexity and eat significant hours. Start with one that gives you a clear, measurable win.
Deploy your first automation with a clear baseline. Track time saved, errors reduced and money recovered. Most businesses see measurable results within the first week. Use the data to build the case for expansion.
Once your first automation proves its value, expand to the next process on your list. Each automation compounds the gains. Within 3 to 6 months, your business operates fundamentally differently.
Businesses that adopt AI early are pulling ahead. Those that wait are falling behind. The gap is widening every quarter. Here is what the data shows.
2.4x
Revenue growth for AI-adopting businesses vs non-adopters (McKinsey 2024)
37%
Of Australian businesses have started implementing AI (ABS 2025)
$4.6T
Estimated annual AI productivity gains globally (McKinsey)
Built by Flowtivity
Flowtivity offers free AI readiness assessments for Australian businesses. In 30 minutes, you will know exactly which processes to automate first, what the ROI looks like and how quickly you can get started.
Real questions from Australian business owners evaluating AI for the first time.
Your business is ready for AI if you have repeatable processes, digital records and at least one area where manual work is consuming significant time. You do not need perfect data or a tech team. Most Australian SMEs are more AI ready than they realise.
An AI readiness assessment evaluates your current processes, data maturity, technology stack and team capability. It identifies quick wins, estimates ROI and creates a practical implementation roadmap tailored to your business.
AI implementation for small businesses typically starts from $2,000 to $5,000 for a single automation. Comprehensive packages range from $5,000 to $15,000. Most businesses see payback within 4 to 8 weeks through time savings and error reduction.