The future of Australia’s workforce is taking shape before today’s students receive their degrees. Across university campuses, students are using AI to investigate ideas, build assistants and turn concepts into working prototypes. They are beginning to develop the skills they will take into research, established industries and ventures of their own.

Recognising this shift, Australian universities, including UNSW Sydney, University of Sydney, La Trobe University, and Adelaide University are forging collaborations with OpenAI to give their students and staff access to frontier AI tools.

Students, educators and IT teams are putting AI to work in clinical simulations, robot-assisted teacher training and student projects that build pathways into industry. Alongside this work, universities are developing frameworks for where and how AI can be used in learning and assessment, helping students build practical skills while knowing when to rely on their own judgment. For teachers, employers and industry practitioners, these examples offer practical lessons in designing AI-supported learning, setting clear expectations for AI use and preparing Australians for an AI-enabled workplace.

New research * ⁠ commissioned by OpenAI reveals what students want from their universities, including the access to AI they increasingly expect. In a survey of more than 1,000 Australian university students, 81% said they already use AI several times a week, including more than a third (33%) who use it multiple times a day. Over a quarter (28%) had already built an AI agent or assistant to help manage their studies, work or personal life. Four out of five students (79%) want their university to offer more opportunities to use advanced AI tools on real-world projects, with the same proportion interested in applying AI to challenges in health, climate, science or cyber security.

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