Tag: intelligent automation

To some it might feel we’re living in an “endless summer” of artificial intelligence (AI), with a new breakthrough announced almost monthly. And whilst AI offers important benefits to a myriad of industries, it should also be cautionary tale, with the relevant cybersecurity, legal compliance, data protection and so forth measures put in place.

It’s hard to imagine a world without technology – the speed and ease of the internet, and daily innovation that continues to disrupt business models. Across industries, we are starting to notice businesses of all sizes embrace the digital economy to create value, increase efficiency, and adapt to stay ahead of competitors.

There are plenty of gags out there about how the main driver to fast-tracking digital transformation in business has been COVID-19, rather than the CTO – and , sadly, they’re largely true. The necessity of shifting the majority of global office workforces to a ‘work-from-home’ scenario almost overnight has seen a huge shift in the way businesses function – and forced those who weren’t embracing digital to do so, in a hurry.

The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is underway and it is shaping up some of the most significant opportunities and challenges of our lifetime. The surging high-tech, sharing economy is transforming jobs, policies, industries and entire economies as we witness our digital and physical worlds continue to merge.

As most global markets experience growth, South Africa remains in an economic quagmire. Due to credit rating downgrades, a volatile currency, and lower contributions to GDP from the country's major economic spinners – the agriculture, manufacturing, and mining sectors – the country is experiencing stubbornly high unemployment and anaemic economic growth.