AI and the future of work – the opportunity for Africa

With various industries in South Africa shedding more jobs in the first quarter of 2024, the African continent as a whole has a unique opportunity to influence what the future of work looks like.

Currently, up to 12 million young Africans enter the labour market annually, but according to a report from the International Labour Organisation, more than 20% are neither in employment, education nor training.

This is according to the AI and the Future of Work in Africa whitepaper produced by Microsoft and a collective of industry experts from across the continent.

Nearly one billion people in Africa are currently under the age of 35 with the continent projected to be home to almost half of the world’s youth population by the turn of the century, in effect making up half of the potential global workforce of the future.

Gen AI

Ravi Bhat, Chief Technology and Solutions Officer at Microsoft Africa said there is a significant role for generative AI to not only transform work environments but also foster opportunities for the youth to create jobs, innovate and help drive economic growth and stability across the continent.

According to the whitepaper, many expect generative AI to drastically change knowledge worker jobs, especially in terms of the type of work done, the skills required, and the outputs produced.

McKinsey research shows that generative AI (GenAI) could enable labour productivity growth of up to 0.6% annually through 2040, depending on the rate of technology adoption and the redeployment of worker time into other activities.

‘Barriers to access are being reduced’

Jacki O’Neill, Director at Microsoft Research Africa said generative AI has significant potential to advance human capabilities.

“As more people across Africa get access to GenAI tools through their internet-enabled devices and more affordable data, the barriers to access are being reduced and opportunities for skilling can increase. But it is not only information workers that stand to benefit from GenAI.”

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Microsoft said the promise of GenAI to transform industries such as agriculture, healthcare, and services must be balanced by equipping the youth with the skills needed for an AI-disrupted labour market to ensure that they are not left behind in this technological shift.

“It is therefore important to build skills across the spectrum, from how to deploy and use GenAI tools effectively at work, to how to build appropriate and innovative applications and technologies on top of these models, to the post-graduate skills of research and innovation in machine learning, natural language processing, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, and systems to name a few.”

Policies and practices

Bhat said technology alone cannot solve the challenges that our youthful continent faces.

“We need to create policies and practices to ensure that GenAI, and AI in general, is deployed responsibly with AI-related labour being valued and dignified. It requires the macro-economic, labour, and regulatory markets to adapt and be capable of supporting positive change.”

The AI revolution in Africa is no longer just a possibility; it is already underway, and Microsoft said it is committed to working alongside individuals, governments, partners and stakeholders across the continent to prepare for a future where AI is intricately woven into the fabric of work and society in Africa.

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