Everywhere I go lately, from attending Corinium’s Enterprise AI Melbourne, the Victorian Chamber’s Age of Intelligence, to Ecoforum 2025 in Brisbane this week, one thing is clear: AI is no longer a future trend. It’s here, reshaping how we work, make decisions and create value.
Yet many professionals and leaders I meet still haven’t taken their first step.
And honestly? I get it. Change is uncomfortable, especially when it involves technology that feels complex or unfamiliar.
The Three Excuses I Keep Hearing
In my conversations with professionals across industries, I hear the same three things:
- “I’m afraid it might replace me” – This fear stops people before they even start
- “It’s just hype, not actually useful” – They’ve dismissed AI without ever testing it
- “It’ll make me less sharp” – There’s this worry that relying on AI will somehow diminish their skills
Here’s the truth: avoiding AI won’t protect your organisation or your job. It actually makes it harder to keep up with those who do embrace it.
The Market Is Already Moving
I’ve heard companies like Accenture are restructuring 11,000 roles while simultaneously investing billions in AI upskilling – not to cut costs, but to prepare for what’s next. That’s not a future threat. That’s happening right now.
And it’s not just the tech giants. I’m now recruiting roles like Chief AI Officer, AI Governance Lead and AI Champions across industries that didn’t even mention AI 12 months ago. These aren’t just trendy job titles, they’re evidence of a fundamental shift in how organisations compete and win.
The gap is widening fast. Industry sources say Australia is short 40,000 AI-related roles, while only 17% of workers have received any AI training. The professionals who start today (even with small, imperfect steps) will be leading their teams in 12 months. The ones who wait will be wondering why they didn’t act sooner.
Start Small, Start Today
If you haven’t started using AI yet, don’t overthink it. Here’s how you begin:
1. Make it fun
- Open Google Gemini, turn on Nano Banana and create some ridiculous images for your next presentation
- Edit your holiday photos and see what AI can do
2. Make it practical
- Open Perplexity to plan your next trip, let it research flights, hotels and itineraries
- Ask AI to summarise that 50 page report you’ve been avoiding
3. Make it conversational
- Open ChatGPT and literally ask: “How can I use you? What’s the best way to integrate you into my work?”
- Let the AI teach you how to use AI
It doesn’t matter where you start – what matters is that you do.
Because that first step isn’t about mastering AI. It’s about building confidence and curiosity. Once you start, learning follows naturally.
The Bottom Line
Change can be uncomfortable, but so was social media, email and the internet when they first arrived. This isn’t a passing wave. It’s a fundamental shift in how the world operates.
The question isn’t if AI will transform your industry. It’s whether you’ll be part of that transformation or watching it happen from the sidelines.
At Synchro Partners, we help organisations build AI capability and secure the talent they need for what’s next. If you’re ready to take that first step, let’s talk.