Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a technology reserved for the tech industry alone. It is increasingly influencing every sector of the economy, from education and healthcare to music, finance and manufacturing.
That was the key takeaway when I recently attended Huawei South Africa’s seventh annual ICT Editors Xchange in Johannesburg, where industry leaders, academics and innovators gathered under the theme “Africa’s Intelligence, Africa’s Terms”.
Opening the event, Huawei South Africa deputy CEO Charles Cheng said Africa must define its own AI future instead of simply adopting technologies developed elsewhere.
“African intelligence, African terms means systems that are trained on our realities and designed for our needs,” Cheng said, adding that cloud computing, AI, connectivity and local talent would drive the continent’s next wave of digital transformation.
‘Adapt or be obsolete’
Digital futurist Nicky Verd warned that businesses and individuals who fail to adapt risk becoming obsolete, arguing that complacency – not technology – is the greatest threat. She said Africa’s ability to adapt quickly could become its biggest competitive advantage in the AI era.
One of the most intriguing presentations came from AuraaAfrica founder and chief executive Gift Lubele, who highlighted how AI is already transforming the music industry. He revealed that about 94% of AI music models are trained on Western data, while African data accounts for just 0.04%.
Lubele, whose company recently won Huawei’s Code4Mzansi developer competition, challenged Africans to become creators of data instead of merely consumers of AI technologies.
The language barrier
Equally thought-provoking was the presentation by Dr Olaperi Okuboyejo from the University of Pretoria, who argued that AI will only reach its full potential if it is available in indigenous African languages. She pointed to the country’s literacy challenges and said AI tools remain limited because they perform poorly in many local languages.
Huawei Cloud South Africa’s Director of Cloud Solutions Sales, Calvin Huang, said South Africa still faces hurdles around AI deployment, affordability and data sovereignty. However, he said Huawei is investing in local cloud infrastructure and AI platforms to help accelerate adoption.
The event concluded with a call for Africa to develop AI solutions using its own data, languages and priorities, with speakers agreeing that education will determine whether the continent becomes a global AI builder or remains simply a consumer of the technology.
- AI is increasingly impacting diverse sectors in Africa, from education and healthcare to music and finance, emphasizing the need for technology tailored to African realities.
- Huawei South Africa’s deputy CEO, Charles Cheng, stressed the importance of Africa defining its own AI systems designed for the continent's unique needs using local talent and cloud computing.
- Digital futurist Nicky Verd warned that failure to adapt to AI technologies poses a greater risk than the technology itself, highlighting Africa's adaptability as a key competitive advantage.
- AuraaAfrica CEO Gift Lubele highlighted the underrepresentation of African data in AI music models and encouraged Africans to create and contribute their own data to AI development.
- Challenges such as language barriers, affordability, data sovereignty, and limited local AI infrastructure remain, but investments in cloud and AI platforms aim to boost adoption, with education seen as crucial for Africa’s future role in AI innovation.
