AI will transform jobs and economies or leave SA Behind, warns executive

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize industries, jobs, and economies worldwide, according to Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, Turkey and Africa (CEEMETA) at Dell Technologies. Speaking at the Dell Tech Forum in South Africa, Amin emphasized that AI is no longer a future concept but a present-day imperative.

He described AI as the defining technological shift of a generation, stating that organizations must embrace it to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving digital global economy.

Amin warned that businesses, workers, and governments that fail to adapt to AI risk being left behind. He argued that the companies redesigning their operations around AI will experience gains faster than any previous generation, while those that do not risk struggling to survive. South Africa, he noted, is well-positioned to benefit from AI's opportunities but must act now to transform its economy.

AI's impact extends beyond technology departments, fundamentally altering how businesses operate, employees work, and economies grow. Amin emphasized that AI is an economic force influencing productivity, competitiveness, and job creation, not merely a technological trend. He urged workers, businesses, and governments to treat AI as an economic force that will shape the future.

To succeed in the AI era, Amin stressed the importance of prioritizing data strategies, as data will be the key differentiator between winners and losers. He also cautioned that cybersecurity, infrastructure, and data readiness must be integral components of an AI strategy, as they cannot be addressed separately. Amin's comments come amid South Africa's efforts to strengthen its AI governance framework, following the withdrawal of the country's draft AI policy due to concerns about AI-generated hallucinations producing fictitious academic references and sources.