Roundtable

Sophy Moumakoe, Exxaro Resources

Two global Cisco executives were in South Africa recently, and along with the company’s local leadership, convened a panel discussion with women leaders on the adoption of AI in the workforce.

Nomonde White, CIO, group compliance, Absa, and MC on behalf of Brainstorm, said AI is not a technology challenge, but a leadership challenge. She said Africa was often described as a continent of potential, but potential only matters when it’s converted into progress. “AI may be the defining transformation of our generation. The question is not whether AI will change the world, because it already is. AI has moved from experimentation to implementation. Organisations are no longer asking what it can do, but how they can realise value from AI responsibly, sustainably and at scale. AI doesn’t solve organisational weaknesses, it exposes them. Weak data becomes more visible, weak governance becomes more dangerous and skills gaps become more apparent.”