‘AI pushes humans to a higher order of innovation’ - Kabelo Makwane, Google Country Director

CapeTalk’s Clarence Ford speaks with Country Director at Google Kabelo Makwane.

Listen below:

AI Empowered, inspired by EO, is holding its inaugural summit in Cape Town on 7 and 8 August 2025.

This summit is a future-focused event, looking at what we can expect from AI in the next five years.

Kabelo Makwane presented the opening keynote at the conference, focusing on AI Strategy for African Business Leaders.

While many fear that AI could ‘replace’ humans, he argues that it will push us forward as it makes information free and easily accessible.

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“AI pushes humankind to a higher order of ingenuity, engagement and innovation.”

- Kabelo Makwane, Country Director at Google 

He adds that we must work on creating new jobs and opportunities that work alongside AI to ensure that we grow in a changing world.

Scroll up to the audio player for more.