South Africa is witnessing growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), as enthusiasm surrounding the emerging technology outweighs concerns.
This is according to a survey conducted by Ipsos late last year on behalf of Google. The results were released yesterday, and reveal attitudes towards AI are trending positive among locals, as use cases become more widespread.
The study, titled: “Our life with AI: From innovation to application”, surveyed 21 000 people across 21 countries, including SA, Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.
It found that global AI usage has jumped to 48%, and excitement about its potential now exceeds concerns (57% versus 43%, up from 50% / 50% last year).
Furthermore, AI is having a transformative impact across a myriad of industries in SA, notes the study. Unlike their counterparts around the world, who prioritise innovation at higher levels, South Africans are just as likely to believe fostering advancements in science, medicine and other fields through AI innovation is as important (50%) as protecting impacted industries through AI regulation (50%), it says.
“These findings from the survey show a considerable excitement among the online population in South Africa about AI's potential to bring about positive change to the country, especially within the economy and healthcare sectors,” says Kent Walker, president of global affairs, Google and Alphabet.
“Since last year, AI usage has increased in South Africa and around the world.”
The survey found that 73% of respondents felt SA will be able to harness the potential of AI over the next five years.
The power of GenAI
“Over half of surveyed South Africans now report that they’ve used generative AI (GenAI) in the last year, up from 45% in 2023 (the global average this year was 48%),” notes Walker.
“GenAI usage varies and goes beyond experimenting with the technology: South Africans are using it not only to entertain but to support their work, personal projects and education.”
Some 90% of locals felt GenAI will have a positive impact on their ability to understand complex topics, while 79% think it will benefit the way they learn, according to the study.
A report published in June 2024 by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that GenAI in SA is seeing a shift from curiosity to usage phase.
According to the BCG study, surveyed South African employees’ sentiments about AI and GenAI are evolving significantly, as engagements with the technology increase, particularly among frontline employees, who reported using the tool regularly in 2023.
The launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022 brought to public attention the power of GenAI. Since then, a plethora of large language models (LLMs) have been introduced, including Google Gemini (previously Bard), Microsoft Copilot, Elon Musk's xAI, IBM Watson Studio, AmplifAI and Amazon Web Services’ Lake Formation.
Today, adoption of machine learning and GenAI applications, such as LLM and text-to-image tools, varies among South African brands.
As new capabilities, such as online translation, are introduced on GenAI platforms, consumer uptake will increase in SA, notes Google.
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