As artificial intelligence accelerates into every part of our lives, South Africans need more than buzzwords. We need clarity, access, and serious conversation.
It’s easy to feel like artificial intelligence is something happening out there— in techland, in code, in jobs that don’t look like yours. But AI is already shaping how we work, how we learn, and how we’re governed. And in a country like South Africa—where inequality, unemployment, and institutional fragility run deep—it’s not a trend to observe. It’s a force to understand, urgently.
PwC South Africa’s “Value in Motion” report estimates that AI could add R129 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030, with Africa as a whole standing to gain up to R1.9 trillion. The sectors with the greatest potential impact? Healthcare, education, financial services, agriculture, and government.
But that future doesn’t build itself. And if we don’t engage critically with what AI is and what it isn’t, we risk repeating the mistakes of every other digital divide.
Bringing AI Down to Earth
That’s what makes the new summit, AI Empowered (AIE), landing in Cape Town this August, worth noticing—not for its glitz, but for its grounding.
Inspired by Entrepreneurs’ Organization Cape Town, AIE is attempting to make AI accessible and accountable to ordinary professionals, educators, creatives, and citizens. It positions itself as a summit about humans, using AI to think bigger, move faster and lead faster.
Over two days—7 and 8 August 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, AIE will host conversations that go beyond the hype, and into the real questions facing South Africans and the global world today.
With input from local and global thinkers in ethics, policy, education, tech, and law, AIE is not selling a product. It’s opening a conversation.
What’s on the Table?
Yes, there’ll be a programme—keynote speeches, panels, and workshops. There’ll be big names like Premier Alan Winde, AI ethics advocate Nazareen Ebrahim, and Shoprite CTO Chris Shortt. And yes, there’s a track on how AI is already transforming business strategy, law, creative industries, and climate science.
But the real value might be in the tone: less promise, more proof. Less marketing, more meaning.
AI in a South African Context
According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report, 44% of core job skills are expected to change in the next five years due to automation and AI. South Africa, with its complex labour market and education challenges, can’t afford to sleepwalk through that shift.
At the same time, AI presents enormous opportunities for scale and reach. Already, homegrown innovation is using AI for language translation in education, telemedicine in rural clinics, and agricultural optimisation in drought-stricken provinces.
What’s needed now is not just policy—but participation.
Why Daily Maverick Is Watching Closely
At Daily Maverick, we don’t partner lightly. We’re not here to sell tickets. We’re here because we believe that a better-informed public is the foundation of any future worth having. And AI, like climate change or inequality, is now a civic issue—not just a technological one.
Join the Conversation
If you’re curious, cautious, or just craving clarity. Because South Africa can’t afford to wait for others to define the future.
Tickets are available at www.aiempowered.co.za
Follow updates on Instagram @aiempowered_sa, Facebook @aiempoweredsa, X @AI_EmpoweredSA, and LinkedIn at AI Empowered SA.
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