A new The Growth Distillery report has found that Australians have never been more digitally connected yet record low-trust in technology.
At the core of the How Australians Are Navigating the Next Wave of Technology report is a paradox. Australians are using technology while fearing it. They spend a third of their waking lives in digital spaces, yet only 30 per cent trust most technology to act in their best interests. Just 18 per cent feel optimistic and excited about technology’s future.
The research identified five forces driving this tension. AI acceleration without guardrails is speeding up the whole system’s pace, scale and stakes while rules and safeguards struggle to keep up.
Trust in digital environments is eroding, with 42 per cent often or always unsure whether the content or person they’re interacting with is real or AI-generated.
Demand for protection and care is rising, with 77 per cent believing tech companies must be accountable for social harm, expecting prevention rather than just response.
Readiness is uneven and the confidence gap is widening, with 44 per cent feeling overwhelmed and left behind by the pace of change.
Sovereignty and security anxiety is also growing with 75 per cent caring more about where their personal data is stored than they used to.
In response, organisations should defend people from scams and digital harm, help people make sense of what is real and safe, make technology feel simpler and more human and push for stronger rules, safeguards and systems that work for people.
“Australians are not turning away from technology. They are turning away from organisations that ask them to trust without giving them reason to. Closing that confidence gap is the real growth opportunity, and the research shows exactly what it takes to do it. The organisations that win will be the ones that make technology feel safer, clearer and genuinely on people’s side,” said The Growth Distillery research director Tom Boxall.
