Use of generative AI soars among big businesses in SA - 'they're all in"
The South African Generative AI Roadmap 2025 reflects the latest GenAI trends in South Africa.
Picture: © marchmeena/123rf.com
CapeTalk's John Maytham talks to Arthur Goldstuck, CEO of World Wide Worx.
A growing percentage of large enterprises in South Africa are adopting the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), according to a newly-released report.
The South African Generative AI Roadmap 2025 study was carried out by World Wide Worx in collaboration with Dell Technologies and Intel.
It shows that the percentage of big businesses adopting GenAI has jumped to 67% from around 45% in 2024.
"So, a year ago when we first did the study it was less than half - which is still seen as strong, but it meant that more than half were not using GenAI."
Arthur Goldstuck, CEO - World Wide Worx
"This year that number rose to 67%, which is a massive increase in usage of a technology tool, but also shows how pervasive GenAI has become and how tools like ChatGPT and Copilot have really captured, I wouldn't say the imagination exactly but the time of enterprise users."
Arthur Goldstuck, CEO - World Wide Worx
These new numbers also show the forms of the technology that are most popular.
A year ago, they saw the most dominant tools being text or written content, adopted by around a third of all users and another two thirds starting use, with just a small number not using it all.
When video creation came in, two thirds of companies were planning to use it and more than a quarter were already using it, Goldstuck says.
The numbers in the 2025 report reflect disappointment with this tool, he goes on.
Video creation has become one of the lowest usage items, dropping to just 10% this year from 28% in 2024.
"This signals disappointment in the level of the technology and what it can do for the company, because video creation plummeted in terms of both use and intended usage."
Arthur Goldstuck, CEO - World Wide Worx
Text and written content on the other hand increased even further, with two thirds of surveyed companies currently using it and a third planning to use it.
For more detail, listen to the interview audio at the top of the article