Australians see AI as a growing moral dilemma, report finds
Artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the most pressing ethical challenges facing Australians, according to the 2025 Ethics Index released by the Governance Institute of Australia.
The comprehensive survey of 1,000 Australians, conducted in July and August 2025, found that 29% of respondents now identify AI as a top ethical concern, marking a significant seven-point increase from the previous year. This surge has propelled AI to become the third most critical ethical challenge, behind only cost-of-living pressures and housing affordability.
Source: Governance Institute of Australia
The findings reveal widespread unease about AI’s expanding role in decision-making processes. Australians view the use of AI-generated content without proper disclosure as highly unethical, with a net score of -49. Similarly, replacing humans with AI in critical decisions such as loan applications or insurance claims received a net score of -46, indicating strong disapproval.
Generation Z demonstrates particular concern about AI’s impact, showing the sharpest decline in trust regarding corporate AI use. The younger generation expressed heightened anxiety about job displacement and the technology's potential to deceive or distort truth in digital environments.
The ethical complexity surrounding AI now rivals that of embryo experimentation, with both issues receiving similar difficulty ratings when Australians were asked about navigating future ethical developments. AI scored -34 on the ethics difficulty scale, whilst embryo experimentation registered -35, underscoring the profound moral weight Australians attach to artificial intelligence.
Corporate use of AI faces mounting scrutiny, with the net score for business AI adoption falling to -6, down nine points from 2024. The report identified two key drivers of negative perceptions: AI replacing human workers and the use of undisclosed AI-generated content in decision-making processes.
Despite widespread concerns, AI applications in healthcare present a notable exception. Medical uses of AI, particularly for diagnoses and treatment planning, received relatively more favourable ethical assessments, though acceptance varied across generations.
The survey also found strong public demand for accountability from AI technology companies. Australians overwhelmingly support requiring these companies to prevent their platforms from being used to mislead or deceive, with 88% viewing this as an ethical obligation.
The growing ethical scrutiny of AI comes as Australians place record-high importance on ethical behaviour overall, with the importance rating reaching 92 in 2025.
