Adobe has released new research revealing a significant shift in how Australians are engaging with artificial intelligence. The findings indicate a rapid evolution from basic AI assistants to more sophisticated 'Agentic AI' – tools capable of acting, making decisions, and completing tasks autonomously.
As industries and consumers quickly embrace AI, Adobe's research, titled "From Assistants to Agents: The AI Evolution in Australia," highlights that AI is reshaping key aspects of Australian life, including shopping, travel, financial management, and content creation. This transformation is notably being led by millennials.
Basically, the normalisation of AI is happening a lot faster than we'd imagine.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that less than 50% of people are even familiar with the term 'Agentic AI'. This suggests that while the technology is rapidly advancing, the general public is still in the early stages of understanding that AI can operate autonomously in the background, conducting work or research.
It's important to remember that the AI landscape is diverse, with many different AI applications suited for various tasks. However, it's crucial that as people embrace these tools, they also recognise that AI outputs still often require human verification and fact-checking. AI, particularly in its current forms, can be prone to errors, and relying on it without human oversight could lead to misinformation or incorrect outcomes.
The research study
Based on a survey of over 1,000 Australians conducted in two phases (March and June 2025), the research uncovered several important trends:
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Agentic AI usage has surged by 50% in just three months. Almost one in five Australians (18%) are already utilising these advanced tools, with a substantial 42% expecting to adopt them within the next year.
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Millennials are at the forefront of this adoption, with 23% already using Agentic AI—the highest percentage among all generations surveyed.
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One in three Australians are now regular users of AI assistants, increasingly relying on AI for everyday activities such as online shopping, planning travel, and engaging in creative projects.
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Notable and unique applications of Agentic AI include comparing products (63%), finding deals and completing approved purchases (57%), and generating creative ideas tailored to individual styles (55%).
The Evolution of AI in Photography
Photographers are already incorporating AI into their post-production workflows. However, we're on the verge of a significant shift, moving away from manually adjusting controls in software like Lightroom and Photoshop. Soon, we'll have the capability to use simple text commands to direct the software to perform tasks autonomously.
Imagine a future where you could issue a command such as: "Import all these images and rename the files to XYZ. Then, select the 20 strongest images based on my previous shoot. After that, retouch any skin blemishes, balance the lighting and white balance. Finally, output the images for the web at 1920 pixels at 220 ppi, and for print at 4000 pixels at 300 ppi." This level of automation is rapidly approaching.
To read more on From Assistants to Agents: The AI Evolution in Australia, visit the Adobe website.
