Australian organisations are accelerating AI and mobile-driven adoption across frontline operations, but new research suggests the underlying infrastructure may not be stable enough to absorb the next wave of automation — raising fresh concerns about productivity and workplace safety.

The warning comes as pressure on Australia’s labour productivity growth intensifies, pushing businesses to seek efficiency gains through technology rather than headcount expansion.

Research published in The SOTI AI Brief: Unlocking a Transformative Force found that frontline workers globally — across healthcare, transportation and logistics, and emergency services — are losing significant time each month to mobile device downtime, connectivity failures, and manual workarounds.

The compounding effect is measurable: increased worker stress, reduced output, and in some cases unsafe behaviours as employees scramble to compensate for lost time.

Despite surging investment in automation, the report found 58% of organisations operating in distributed workforce environments still depend on manual processes — including email and paper-based systems — exposing a stark and uneven state of readiness on the frontline.

Analysts say the gap points to a deeper structural problem. Many AI initiatives are stalling not because the algorithms are flawed, but because the systems and workflows they sit on top of remain unstable or poorly governed — undermining the efficiency gains organisations are counting on.

“For frontline work in Australia, mobile technology is fundamental,” said Michael Dyson, VP of Sales, APAC at SOTI,”

“But what the data shows is that many organisations are layering new AI-driven capabilities onto mobility foundations that are already under strain. Without stability and visibility, AI can amplify problems rather than solve them.” he said.

Network Outages Lay Bare the Fragility of Australia’s Frontline Operations

Recent high-profile network outages across Australia have thrown into sharp relief how deeply dependent frontline operations have become on mobile connectivity — and how exposed organisations remain when those connections fail.

The disruptions revealed limited fallback options, poor visibility into device health, and an over-reliance on manual intervention during system failures.

That vulnerability is borne out in SOTI’s research: while 74% of organisations in distributed workforce environments can track their devices, far fewer have real-time or predictive capability to act before problems escalate.

Although large-scale outages remain relatively rare, industry observers say they function as unplanned stress tests — and the results have been instructive.

Australian workplace regulators have increasingly flagged time pressure, fatigue, and distraction as contributors to safety incidents, amplifying the stakes when technology fails in safety-critical roles.

The operational cost is already being felt. Frontline workers in transportation and logistics estimate losing around 13 hours per month to device-related downtime.

Nearly two-thirds of emergency services workers — 64 per cent — say technical issues add stress to their jobs. In healthcare, device fragmentation and legacy systems continue to blunt responsiveness, even as digital tools become more deeply embedded in patient care.

The findings carry particular weight in Australia, where labour shortages across healthcare, transport and logistics, and emergency services leave little room for disruption.

“AI raises expectations around speed, insight and automation, but frontline operations still depend on basics like battery health, reliable connectivity and working peripherals,” Dyson said.

“If those fundamentals aren’t addressed, organisations risk widening the gap between what technology promises and what frontline teams can realistically deliver.” he said.

Security Spending Lags as Device Management Remains Reactive

SOTI’s research also points to uneven progress in governance and predictive capabilities.

While many organisations are investing in automation, only 34% have increased spending on mobile security, leaving device management largely reactive and issues such as battery degradation, software conflicts and printer connectivity addressed only after they disrupt operations.

The report highlights the importance of shifting from reactive troubleshooting to predictive maintenance and real-time visibility across device fleets.

For Australian organisations, this approach is critical not only for productivity, but for meeting safety obligations, protecting workforce wellbeing and maintaining service continuity in mobile-dependent environments.

“Mobility has become a frontline issue, not just an IT one,” Dyson said.

“Organisations that focus on strengthening the foundations of mobility now will be far better positioned to adopt AI responsibly and support their frontline teams as operational demands continue to grow.” he said/