Publicis Sapient has released its 2025 Digital Citizens Report: Bridging the AI Gap, revealing that while Australians are highly connected, online government services are often overlooked or distrusted by one in three Australians.
The fourth edition of the annual report makes the case for AI-powered personalisation and trust-first design as the key to boosting the uptake of digital government services.
Despite near-universal internet access, one in three Australians is failing to engage with government services online, not because of barriers to access, but because those services aren’t front of mind, according to new research from Publicis Sapient.
Only 34 per cent use government websites as their first port of call for key life events, and 18 per cent engaged with a government service via app or phone. Friends and family (55 per cent) and Google (42 per cent) were the top ports of call for seeking information and support during life events.
Vulnerable groups in particular are digitally active but still disengaged from public platforms, with many believing they will find services too difficult to use.
More than half of Australians (51 per cent) now use generative AI tools in their daily lives, with most having at least some level of familiarity. While popular for tasks like image generation (24 per cent), education (21 per cent), and staying up to date with news and current events (22 per cent), a notable 21 per cent of Australians are already turning to generative AI to find information about government services, signalling a shift in how citizens seek out support and engage with public platforms.
“Citizen behaviour is evolving faster than government technology. People are already relying on AI to find information and navigate services, and they expect the same speed, relevance and accessibility from government. To keep pace, public sector websites need to move beyond static pages and become machine-readable, structured platforms that AI can interpret and respond to. Without that shift, we risk creating a growing gap between the way Australians live their digital lives and the way public services are delivered,” Steven Metzmacher, vice president, public sector, Publicis Sapient Australia said.
The role of AI to bridge the gap and personalise
The report shows that Australians are open to the use of AI in government, but only if it delivers meaningful benefits. People want services that are easier, faster, and more intuitive. While just 24 per cent are fully comfortable sharing their data across government services, a further 37 per cent say they’re willing to do so if it improves their experience. There’s also strong demand for a simpler, more unified approach to digital services, with 67 per cent of Australians wanting a single digital entry point for government, and 60 per cent of in-person users saying they would prefer easy online access if it were available.
But AI must be implemented with transparency, ethical guardrails, and citizen consent. Almost all respondents (89 per cent) requested some transparency in Gen AI and government services, with 45 per cent requesting that source code be made available to the public. Only 11 per cent said they would completely trust an AI application in a government context and would need visible and tight regulations (49 per cent).
“To close the real digital divide, leaders must shift focus from access to experience, awareness, and trust. AI can help bridge that gap by learning from citizen behaviour, reducing friction in service discovery, and tailoring communication to individual needs – fundamentally redesigning not just how services are used but how they are surfaced and understood,” Metzmacher said.
Gen AI’s potential to transform government services
Gen AI in particular shows significant promise, with 51 per cent of survey respondents now using these tools daily, up from 40 per cent in 2024. The most common use was “finding out information and answering questions” (42 per cent), and notably, one in five (21 per cent) are using Gen AI specifically to seek information and answer questions about government services.
Privacy breaches, misinformation, and scams are key concerns for 45 per cent of Australians when it comes to Gen AI. While these risks, along with issues like data sovereignty, bias, and security, are notable, the potential benefits of integrating AI into public services are greater. As with social media, its use must be guided by clear governance, transparency and strong safeguards to ensure trust and accountability.
“Improving digital government services is not only about convenience, but also about making sure Australians can access the support they need in ways that reflect how they live and engage today. At the recent Economic Reform Roundtable, the development of an artificial intelligence plan for the Australian Public Service was identified as one of the top ten priorities for driving long-term economic growth,” Angela Robinson, country managing director, Publicis Sapient Australia said.
“This research shows why that matters. People are already using AI to complete everyday tasks, including finding information about government services, yet many official platforms remain difficult to find or navigate. To build a more connected, productive, and inclusive future, governments need to invest in digital experiences that are designed around people and the technologies that they use every day,” Robinson added.
This report was conducted online in April 2025 and involved 5,250 participants across Australia from a broad range of demographic groups.
