EDITOR’S QUESTION
Some keen examples of AI adoption that we
are already seeing start to take shape, include:
• General office environment: Routine
tasks being automated or handled by
virtual assistants
• Brick and mortar retail store: Radio-
Frequency Identification Technology
(RFID), Internet of Things (IoT) and
mobile technologies will liberate sales
associates from chasing down items in
the stock room and manning pay-points
• Contact centre: Augmented Intelligence
will supplement agents’ expertise to solve
complex customer problems
• Mining and industrials: These industries
stand to benefit significantly in terms of
improved safety and productivity across
their functions from further automation
and AI adoption. Interestingly,
developments can also be seen in the
information space, around how mining
companies are able to automatically
extract and process data
• Cybercrime defence: AI will have an
increasingly integral role to play in the
fight against cybercrime, as AI solutions
are adept at analysing huge amounts of
data far faster, and are able to flag what
is most important, or most suspicious
– which helps to really focus security
analysts’ attentions
• Intelligent banking in the future: For
financial services industries – in addition
to the potential to automate many
middle and back-office functions – AI
holds the key to rapid and effective
analysis of vast quantities of data
It is evident that AI will have a
transformative effect across industries
in Africa and beyond. The willingness to
embrace it and use the technology to drive
efficiencies while developing employee skills
will be critical for its success.
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