New research from Microsoft reveals Australians spend an average of 27 hours on holiday tasks, including travel planning, gift shopping, and event organisation – adding up to 540 million hours nationwide.
The Microsoft AI Holiday Hacks report uncovered that 77% of Australians find aspects of the holiday season stressful, with the top stressors being choosing the right gifts (36%), staying on budget (36%), and shopping for food, decorations, or presents (33%).
Fewer than half (45%) attempt to plan their holiday festivities well in advance to avoid the last-minute gift-buying rush, although 58% say they’d rather do almost anything than hit the shops on Christmas Eve, including taking an ice bath (20%), assembling IKEA furniture without instructions (20%) and listening to an uncle explain cryptocurrency over Christmas lunch (15%). Choosing gifts ranks as one of the hardest holiday tasks, with 72% of respondents struggling to find presents for at least one person on their list.
Nearly half (47%) of Australians are open to using AI to streamline holiday tasks, including choosing gifts (19%), meal planning and cooking (16%), travel planning (16%) and finding unique holiday recipes (16%).
Microsoft’s Copilot AI feature is designed to help ease the holiday burden, from generating personalised gift ideas to creating efficient travel itineraries and even optimising dinner parties.
Microsoft Windows category lead for Australia and New Zealand, Dan Johnson said, “This time of year can be hectic. With Microsoft Copilot, we want to help Australians reclaim their time, whether it’s through smart scheduling, recipe ideas, or even travel coordination. Think of it as your personal assistant, ready to tackle the little tasks so you can enjoy more of what matters this season.”
With time saved using AI, nearly two in five Australians (37%) said they would spend it on quality family time, while another 37% would catch up on sleep. Gen Z respondents, in particular, are keen to maximise their downtime, with 53% saying they’d use the extra hours to rest and recharge.