The AI revolution may be a great opportunity for Australia, but a critical skills gap must be addressed if we are to realise this potential. Thirty-nine per cent of businesses surveyed by AWS said a lack of relevant skills was stopping them adopting or expanding AI use.
AWS is making that adoption easier, Hardie says. “We are making these capabilities accessible to customers so organisations can begin implementation today, focusing on proper guardrails, governance, transparency and responsible scaling.”
AI Spring aims to deepen AI capabilities
AI Spring is launching a program for schools in 2026 that aims to reach 1 million students over three years, helping build AI literacy and promoting its responsible and ethical use. Credit: iStock
To address the skills gap, and help Australia realise the full economic and productivity potential of AI, AWS has launched the AI Spring program. The initiative offers a range of programs to help businesses build AI capability, and accelerate and deepen the adoption of AI.
Firstly, AWS’s global startup program, AWS Generative AI Accelerator, is helping entrepreneurs develop their own Gen AI systems and applications. In the three years that the program has been running, five Australian startups — Leonardo AI, Contact Harald, Marqo, Relevance AI and Splash Music — have been selected.
This year, two more Australian startups are among the 40 taking part worldwide: Mary Technology, which uses AI to extract facts from documents for law firms, and Pluralis Research, which is developing a platform for open-source, decentralised AI-model training.
Each startup participates in an eight-week program and receives up to US$1 million in AWS credits.
“Australia is really punching above its weight when it comes to startups harnessing the power of AI,” Hardie says. An AWS study, Unlocking Australia’s AI Potential 2025, found that 81 per cent of Australian startups are already leveraging AI in their businesses, with 42 per cent developing new AI-driven products and services, and 53 per cent using AI at the core of their business operations.
AWS also offers a program for bigger businesses, AI Launchpad, which helps enterprises leverage AWS expertise, partner support and dedicated funding to move their Gen AI workloads from concept to production.
And this year AWS began work on a new AI Spring program for schools to help educate and prepare tomorrow’s workforce, teaming up with non-profit edtech provider Code for Schools.
Together, they are developing and delivering an AI education program, aligned with the Australian curriculum, that will be available for K-12 students and teachers across Australia’s public, independent and Catholic schools — as well as parents and carers.
It launches in term one next year, with the aim of reaching 1 million students over three years, helping build AI literacy and promoting its responsible and ethical use. Training the next generation of AI workers — and pulling the future forward — starts here.
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