Category: Press Release

Phase 2 Speakers Announced. 40+ Speakers.  2 Days:  The Real AI Conversation.

In proud partnership with CapeTalk and Daily Maverick. Created by One-eyed Jack.

The inaugural AI Empowered summit, inspired by EO Cape Town, delivered on its promise to demystify artificial intelligence and explore its transformative power across business, life, and society. From big-picture visions to tangible next steps, the summit drew entrepreneurs, creatives, technologists, educators, and the AI-curious into bold, honest, and often provocative conversations about the technology shaping our future.

Day One: AI and Business
Hosted by radio personality Africa Melane, the main auditorium dived deep into the business applications of AI and the mood was electric.

• Kabelo Makwane, Country Director, Google,challenged African business leaders to prepare for “what’s coming by 2030,” blending strategy with hard truths about the pace of change. Kabelo shared that AI is becoming a full creative studio in your pocket, allowing marketers, creators, and businesses to ideate, produce, and distribute high-quality multimedia content faster and more cost-effectively than ever before.

• Mike Scott, Warp Development, reframed AI for non-technical founders as “a source of leverage, not just a toolkit.” Mike contrasted the promise vs. reality of AI in business. He argued that adoption is still messy, confusing, and often misunderstood. His advice: start small, run structured experiments, dedicate budget for trial and error, and integrate AI into one Standard Operating Procedure or core process before scaling.

• A key take away from Emma Sadleir, The Digital Law Company: AI adoption must be backed by clear, enforceable policies that address legal risk and ethical use, because good tech without good governance is a liability.

• The EO Insights Hub was a buzz with workshops like Generative AI 101 with Dillon Jearey, Circle Forward Global, gave attendees frameworks to start applying AI tools on Monday morning.

Day Two: AI and Society
If day one was about competitive edge, day two was about collective responsibility. From ethics to education, healthcare to climate, the focus shifted to AI’s societal implications.

• Shirley Eadie, Whole Human Studios, explored how AI could address South Africa’s deep-rooted education challenges from teacher shortages to language accessibility while warning that inaction both worsens the downside and forfeits the upside. Her core message is that AI should be applied proactively, in ways that are fit for context, to make learning “irresistible” and keep humans at the heart of education.

• Archana Arakkal, Synthesis Software Technologies, stressed that AI can give humanity weeks of critical advantage in fighting pandemics, but only if paired with cross-border collaboration, robust data infrastructure, and a commitment to openness.

• Tamir Kessel, ClimateTech Cultivator, shared that  AI in climate tech must be guided by an AI Compass of people, trust, inclusion, restraint, ethical innovation, and transparency to ensure that technological advances truly serve environmental and social good, rather than accelerate the problems they aim to solve.

• Gaurav Devsarmah’s Warp Development, session, “Making Sense of AI to Generate Tangible Returns for Your Business”, focused on shifting from lengthy documentation and slow development cycles to a Prototype-First approach.
  Instead of starting with 30-page requirement documents and months of planning, he advocates building a functional AI demo within days often by non-technical teams using no-code and low-code tools. The goal: win business faster, validate ideas sooner, and reduce wasted engineering work by showing stakeholders and customers something they can interact with immediately.

Diversity, Collaboration, and Local Impact
True to its mission, AI Empowered championed diverse voices, with over 15 female speakers and a line-up that balanced global expertise with homegrown innovation. Partnerships with the City of Cape Town, Invest Cape Town, FNB Women in Business, and the IAB reinforced the summit’s commitment to using AI as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth in Africa.

With its debut year setting a high bar, AI Empowered, inspired by EO Cape Town has already cemented its place on Africa’s innovation calendar.

Proudly inspired by EO Cape Town (Entrepreneurs’ Organization), in partnership with CapeTalk, Daily Maverick, Invest Cape Town, the City of Cape Town, IAB, FNB and produced by One-eyed Jack.

#AIEmpowered #EOCapeTown 

Follow AIE for updates:

• Instagram: @aiempowered_sa
• Facebook: @aiempoweredsa
• X: @AI_EmpoweredSA
• LinkedIn: Ai Empowered SA

Media enquiries and speaker interview opportunities:

Please contact: Natasha Goosen I natasha@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 64 650 0775.

Laurell Kok | laurell@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 76 112 0670.

Phase 2 Speakers Announced. 40+ Speakers.  2 Days:  The Real AI Conversation.

In proud partnership with CapeTalk and Daily Maverick. Created by One-eyed Jack.

South Africa’s economic challenges are real, and urgent. Yet a powerful opportunity is emerging. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to become a real catalyst for inclusive economic growth, job creation, and long-term resilience. It’s also a moment for founders and businesses to see, firsthand, where the opportunities lie, and how to act on them. 

This is the backdrop against which AI Empowered, inspired by EO Cape Town, takes centre stage. 

To be hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 7–8 August 2025, the summit brings together business leaders, technologists, and creatives to unpack how AI can be used not just to compete globally, but to solve local problems. From fraud protection to youth upskilling, the conversations are grounded in possibility and driven by impact. 

That AI Empowered, inspired by EO, chose to hold its inaugural summit in Cape Town is no coincidence. The city is Africa’s leading tech and innovation hub, home to top startups, global HQs, and world-class talent. It’s the natural home for a future-focused summit like AI Empowered. 

To reinforce this, Invest Cape Town, alongside the City of Cape Town, have confirmed their position as official host city partners, with the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) joining as a key supporting organisation. 

“The City is proud to back AI Empowered. We consistently strive to enable economic development in the metro that is accessible to all communities and technology is central to that mission,” says Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth. 

“AI specifically has become one of the most important tools for identifying challenges across societies and industries and for unlocking solutions. We are excited to bring together thought-leaders and experts in the public and private sectors for an exchange of ideas and initiatives that will ultimately empower Cape Town, South Africa and people all across Africa.”  

According to PwC, AI is expected to contribute R129-billion to South Africa’s economy by 2030. With growing traction in sectors like education, healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and the SME ecosystem, entrepreneurs are especially well placed to benefit from the curated line-up and practical insights on offer. 

Presented by Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Cape Town, AI Empowered is designed to demystify AI and make it truly useful for entrepreneurs and business leaders across Africa. “At EO Cape Town, we believe in knowledge-sharing that drives real impact,” says Anton Gillis, President of EO Cape Town. “This summit is a powerful platform to inspire action, spark partnerships, and future-proof our businesses.” 

The event’s line-up proudly includes some 15 women as speakers, a key driver to champion diverse voices in innovation.  Joining in on the summit’s support, is FNB Women in Business. FNB Women in Business recognises the resilience and impact of women-led small businesses in South Africa and is committed to supporting them with smart tools, funding solutions, and real opportunities for growth. Because when women-led SMEs thrive, communities grow stronger and the economy moves forward. Visit FNB for more information.  

Programme expanded to include more than 40 speakers 

The expanded programme now includes some of the continent’s most respected business minds, technologists, and strategists. 

Attendees can explore two main tracks:  

• EO Insights Hub Stage – featuring training, masterclasses, panel discussions and talks. 

• Main Auditorium – where global and local thought leaders will deliver inspiring keynotes and case studies, with the odd debate thrown in for good measure.  

New additions to the line-up include: 

Kabelo Makwane, Country Director, Google. 

Talk: AI Strategy for African Business Leaders – What’s Coming by 2030. 

Valter Adão, CEO, Cadena Growth Partners. Faculty, Singularity University Africa. 

Panel: Workforce 2.0 – AI, Automation & Inclusive Growth. 

Steven Sidley, Professor of Practice, JBS, UJ 

Talk: We’re All Gonna Die – Utopian vs Dystopian Prognoses for AI. 

Folarin Aiyegbusi, Head of Startup Ecosystem for Africa, Google (Virtual) 

Talk: The Role of AI in Growing Small Businesses. 

Beverley Schäfer, Director of Strat Diplomacy, Advisory Board Member, SAAIA 

Talk: Regulating Innovation: Finding the Line Between Governance and Growth. 

Dillon Jearey, Facilitator, Circle Forward Global 

Workshop: Generative AI 101 – From Curiosity to Competitive Edge in 59 Minutes a Week. 

Gaurav Devsarmah, Head of AI, Warp Development 

Workshop: Making Sense of AI to Generate Tangible Return. 

Roshan Jelal, FNB Head of Fraud Commercial, will join Rahul Jain, Co-Founder, Peach Payments on the AI & Fraud panel, to explore how businesses can protect themselves in an increasingly AI-driven world. 

Who Should Attend? 

Business owners, marketers, creatives, HR leads, strategists, and decision-makers, anyone looking to use AI to work smarter, grow faster, and lead more confidently. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, AI Empowered is designed to deliver practical tools, thought leadership, and real-world insight. 

Tickets and Corporate Bookings 

Tickets start at R3,600 for both days, and are on sale now at www.aiempowered.co.za, corporate bookings packages are also available. 

Proudly inspired by EO Cape Town (Entrepreneurs’ Organization), in partnership with CapeTalk, Daily Maverick, Invest Cape Town, the City of Cape Town, IAB, FNB and produced by One-eyed Jack. 

#AIEmpowered #EOCapeTown 

Follow AIE for updates:

• Instagram: @aiempowered_sa
• Facebook: @aiempoweredsa
• X: @AI_EmpoweredSA
• LinkedIn: Ai Empowered SA

Media enquiries and speaker interview opportunities:

Please contact: Natasha Goosen I natasha@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 64 650 0775.

Laurell Kok | laurell@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 76 112 0670.

Phase 2 Speakers Announced. 40+ Speakers.  2 Days:  The Real AI Conversation.

In proud partnership with CapeTalk and Daily Maverick. Created by One-eyed Jack.

AI is everywhere, and whether you’re trying to get ahead of it or just make sense of it, the noise is real. What if there was one place to cut through the hype? One summit where you could explore how AI is transforming your business, your career, and your life?

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept, it’s already reshaping the way we work, hire, trade, treat illness, learn, and live. Whether you’re ready or not, AI is in your inbox, your sales pipeline, your investment strategy, your doctor’s office, your child’s classroom, and embedded in the data trails we leave behind every day.

Consider this: nearly 80% of hospitals now use AI to enhance patient care and streamline operations (Docus.ai – AI Healthcare Statistics, 2024). And according to McKinsey, generative AI could add up to US$4.4 trillion (R80 trillion) annually to the global economy. Yet as this powerful technology accelerates progress, it also raises urgent questions, about inequality, data privacy, misinformation, and the rapid disruption of entire industries.

Enter AI Empowered, a bold new summit inspired by EO Cape Town, designed to move beyond the buzzwords and into what’s actually happening now, and what’s coming by 2030. 

Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre CTICC on 7–8 August 2025, this two-day event features global and local thought leaders from companies like Google, Salesforce, MIT Centre for Collective Intelligence, Woolworths, Discovery, Amazon Web Services, Pepkor and more.

This is not just a tech summit. It’s a two-day deep dive into the urgent, messy, exciting reality of AI today, with practical tools, eye-opening debates, and access to global and local experts who are shaping what’s next, all under one roof.

From smart cities to deep moral questions, this is the type of event where we look up from the laptop and ask: What kind of future are we building, and who gets to shape it?

Day 1: AI and Your Business 

Day 1 is focused on ways to integrate AI into your business strategy. We’ll unpack how artificial intelligence is revolutionising everything from customer journeys, sales and marketing, talent acquisition and your team organogram, to creative workflows and financial forecasting. 

Phase 2 speaker additions include:

• The Smart Future of Retail: Jose Rodrigues, Chief Data Analytics Officer at Woolworths, Michael Yolland, Head of Artificial Intelligence at Pepkor IT and Louise Liddell, Senior Solutions Architect at AWS.
• How intuitive, privacy-conscious AI agents are transforming industries and unlocking new levels of human potential: Tyler Reed, founder of pioneering AI company xgmi.
• Business coach, strategist, and business builder Mike Scott, APAC Director at Warp Development, on how non-technical founders should think about AI, not as a toolset, but as a source of leverage. 
• Workshop: Making sense of AI to generate tangible returns for your business, with Gaurav Devsarmah, MBA & AI/ML Practitioner, Head of AI at Warp Development. 
• Day 1 will be opened by Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape.

Day 2: AI and the world around you. From cities and climate, to ethics, education, health and the shadows where fraud lurks.

On 8 August, we zoom out to explore the seismic shifts AI is triggering across society. It’s no longer just about business, it’s about how AI is reshaping the very systems we rely on to live, work, learn, and thrive. What happens when machines start diagnosing illness, or managing traffic flow in cities?

This day dives deep into the human and societal implications of AI, with bold talks and challenging conversations on subjects like:

• Rethinking education in the age of AI: Shirley Eadie, Founding Director at Whole Human Studios.
• African Language Solutions: Thapelo Nthite, Co-Founder & CEO, Botlhale AI Solutions and Jade Abbott, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer at Lelapa AI.
• Local Applications of AI: TB detection through lung sound analysis, Braden van Breda, Chief Executive Officer at AI Diagnostics.
• Redefining Legal: The AI-Driven Future of Law: Yvonne Wakefield, Chief Executive Officer at Caveat, with Kyle Torrington, Co-Founder & Director at Taylor Torrington and Associates Law Firm.
• AI in journalism: Karen Allen, Journalist and Founder at Karen Allen International and Chris Roper, Senior Strategist at Code for Africa.

With speakers being announced weekly, visit https://aiempowered.co.za.dedi192.cpt4.host-h.net/ for updates.

AI Empowered, inspired by EO Cape Town, is set to become a cornerstone of Africa’s innovation calendar.

Cape Town’s global appeal, creative spirit, and booming tech culture make it the perfect host city-and the perfect excuse to stay for the weekend.

Tickets start at R3,600 for both days, and are on sale now at www.aiempowered.co.za

Proudly inspired by EO Cape Town, in partnership with CapeTalk, Daily Maverick, and produced by One-eyed Jack.

#AIEmpowered #EOCapeTown

Follow AIE for updates:

• Instagram: @aiempowered_sa
• Facebook: @aiempoweredsa
• X: @AI_EmpoweredSA
• LinkedIn: Ai Empowered SA

Media enquiries and speaker interview opportunities:

Please contact: Natasha Goosen I natasha@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 64 650 0775.

Laurell Kok | laurell@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 76 112 0670.

Early Bird tickets available.

In proud partnership with CapeTalk and Daily Maverick. Created by One-eyed Jack.

Cape Town, South Africa – On 7 and 8 August 2025, the Cape Town International Convention Centre will host AI Empowered (AIE), inspired by EO Cape Town, a new summit with a fresh approach, designed to demystify artificial intelligence and explore its growing influence on the way we live, learn, work, and lead.

AIE is not just a tech event. It’s a two-day experience curated for entrepreneurs, professionals, educators, creatives and the simply AI-curious. With a human-first lens, the summit makes AI accessible, relevant and actionable, whether you’re looking to drive business growth, reimagine your workflow, or just understand what’s coming next.

Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape, will open the summit with a keynote exploring AI’s potential to boost skills development and streamline public service delivery, all with the aim to boost economic growth and job creation in the province. He’ll be followed by a powerful line-up of international and local experts delivering keynotes, panels, masterclasses and interactive training sessions.

What sets AIE apart, is its commitment to inspire with real-world case studies, exceptional global and local innovations and controversial debates. We’re not speculating about someday, we’re showing you what’s happening now, what’s around the corner in 2027, and what might blow your mind by 2030.

Why attend?

AI is rapidly transforming everything from how we do business to how we access healthcare, education and entertainment. But with so much hype and confusion, it can be hard to keep up. AIE is your chance to get ahead of the curve, understand what’s at stake, and learn how to harness AI to stay competitive, creative, and future-fit.

AIE is where curiosity meets clarity. AIE cuts through the noise to reveal the real, practical impact of AI on your world. 

This two-day conference is designed with intention: day one focuses on business, while day two shifts the spotlight to life and the way we live.

Day 1: How AI will flip the way you work, sell, market, hire, create, invest and manage your finances. Real case studies. Real strategies. Real inspiration. Radio host, Africa Melane (CapeTalk and 702) will guide the day as our host.

Day 2: Zooms out: the big-picture trends that’ll shape the world you live (and work and play and love and survive) in, from cities and climate change, to education, health and wellness, ethics, and the dark corners where fraud lurks.

If you want to know how AI will impact every corner of your life, you’re in the right place. Let’s get smart, stay curious, and maybe freak out just a little bit (but in a good way).

AIE is shaping up to become a must-attend on the African innovation calendar.

Speaker Highlights – Phase 1 Line-up:

• Gianni Giacomelli (Berlin), Head of Design Innovation, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, in conversation (virtual) with Catherine Lückhoff, Co-founder and CEO at 20fifty.
• Derek Wilcocks, CIO of Discovery Limited, on AI innovations in healthcare.
• Jarred Cinman, Chief Executive Officer, VML South Africa, on how AI is transforming the creative workforce and workplace.
• Nazareen Ebrahim, AI Ethics and Policy practitioner and Top 100 Brilliant Women in AI, on AI in Tourism.
• Musa Kalenga, Group CEO of Brave Group and former Client Partner at Facebook Africa, on innovations in the creative industries.
• Matthias Bellmann (Bavaria), CEO of Passion.io, on ‘How I generated $50 million on social media without showing my face’.
• Chris Shortt, CTO, Shoprite Group, on AI in retail.
• Emma Sadleir, Founder and CEO of The Digital Law Company, on Legal and Ethical Considerations for using AI.
• Nevo Hadas, Founder and Managing Partner, DYDX on ‘Consulting the Future: How the experts see the next wave’. 
• Tamir Kessel, ClimateTech Cultivator, on bringing Climate AI to market.
• Deshni Govender, Country lead: AI for International Development and named 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics on AI in education. 
• Jos Dirkx (Netherlands), Global AI Strategist, Best-Selling Author, Top 100 Women in AI and Inventor, on Convergence: How exponential tech and trends shape our future world.
• Archana Arakkal, Practice Lead, Intelligent Data Division, Synthesis, on AI in healthcare. 

Cape Town’s global appeal, natural beauty, and booming tech and business culture make it the ideal home for AI Empowered, and the perfect reason to extend your stay for the weekend.

Tickets start at R3,600 for the two days, and are on sale now at www.aiempowered.co.za

#AIEmpowered #EOCapeTown

Follow AIE for updates:

• Instagram: @aiempowered_sa
• Facebook: @aiempoweredsa
• X: @AI_EmpoweredSA
• LinkedIn: AI Empowered SA

AIE is proudly inspired by Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Cape Town, in partnership with CapeTalk, Daily Maverick, and One-eyed Jack.

Media enquiries and speaker interview opportunities:

Please contact: Natasha Goosen I natasha@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 64 650 0775.

Laurell Kok | laurell@one-eyedjack.co.za +27 76 112 0670.