Author: Rowen Pillai

In the boardroom, we often speak of digital transformation as a goal to be reached. But in the era of exponential Artificial Intelligence, the reality is far more demanding. We are currently trapped in what I call the Red Queen’s Race: a structural crisis where the velocity of agentic AI and cloud architecture is simply outstripping our national capacity to deliver skilled talent. As Alice was told in Wonderland, it takes all the running you can do just to stay in the same place. For South Africa, staying in place is no longer an option; we are either accelerating our…

The transformative potential of AI, at a pivotal moment, converges with the critical necessity for South Africa’s economic revitalisation. While AI holds some promise, particularly for the SME sector, realising its potential requires a strategic and concerted effort. As we navigate a low-growth economic environment, we must stop viewing Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) as merely a compliance scorecard obligation. Instead, we must recognise it as a potent lever to bridge the digital divide and inject growth-generative innovation into our economy. SMEs are vital to our economic growth and job creation. Yet, despite the buzz surrounding the Fourth Industrial Revolution,…

South Africa currently grapples with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, standing at a staggering 31.9% in 2024, with youth unemployment exceeding 60%. This challenge is compounded by deep-seated structural issues like inequality and inadequate access to education, creating a skills mismatch that leaves many job seekers unprepared for available opportunities. However, amidst these persistent difficulties, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological breakthroughs emerge as a potential game changer.  Far from being a mere trend, AI possesses the capacity to significantly transform various sectors of the economy and holds the promise of helping to solve long-standing issues such as…