…ai moves from buzzword to everyday tool
…ai to target key sectors
jobs, skills and the ai question
…free ai training for emaswati
…building eswatini’s own ai future
…taking ai beyond urban centres
BY NELIWE NGUBANE
MBABANE– Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer simply a futuristic concept for Eswatini, with the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) pushing for practical solutions that can improve everyday life, from agriculture and healthcare to education, business and rural services.
Speaking during an interview on Eswatini TV’s Kusile Breakfast Show, RSTP Artificial Intelligence Strategist Menzi Khumalo said the focus at this year’s International Eswatini Trade Fair will shift from discussing what AI could become to demonstrating what it can already do.
Khumalo said RSTP’s AI approach is centred on empowering Emaswati to understand and use the technology as a tool rather than fear it.
Khumalo identified agriculture as one of the major areas where AI could support Eswatini’s development, particularly because of the sector’s importance to the country’s economy.
He said RSTP is also exploring opportunities in healthcare and education, while government services are already benefiting from digital transformation.
“Once you understand it, you see it as a tool or a resource to be used as opposed to something to be afraid of,” Khumalo said.
He added that AI could help improve healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities where access to specialist services can be limited.
According to Khumalo, AI-enabled diagnostic machines can analyse medical scans and assist in identifying conditions such as pneumonia much faster than traditional processes.
With unemployment remaining a major concern, fears that AI will replace human workers are growing.
However, Khumalo said the bigger danger is failing to equip people with the skills required to work alongside AI.
He explained that AI still requires human beings to provide prompts, monitor results, identify errors and make ethical decisions.
“AI will always need human intervention,” he said.
Khumalo encouraged Emaswati to learn the fundamentals of AI before relying heavily on AI tools, arguing that understanding the technology is the first step towards using it responsibly.
One of the opportunities highlighted was Coders Eswatini, which provides free digital training in partnership with Udacity.
The programme offers courses in AI, data science, programming and Android app development.
Khumalo urged ordinary Emaswati to register for the free AI Fundamentals course and begin building skills that could prepare them for the digital economy.
He said users should also verify information generated by AI rather than accepting every response as factual.
Khumalo said Eswatini should aspire to become more than a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.
He raised the possibility of AI systems that could understand and respond in SiSwati and other Nguni languages, potentially making AI more accessible to people who are not comfortable using English-based systems.
He said RSTP is exploring different avenues that could allow local communities to interact with AI in their own languages.
Khumalo also stressed the importance of ensuring that rural communities are not excluded from the digital revolution.
He said AI-powered healthcare solutions, for example, could potentially allow diagnostic technologies to be deployed closer to rural communities, reducing the time patients wait for specialist analysis.
For RSTP, the objective is therefore not simply to showcase impressive technology, but to explore how innovation can solve real problems facing Emaswati.
At the International Eswatini Trade Fair, visitors to Pavilion 5 will get a glimpse of this vision through interactive AI demonstrations, including drones, mixed reality and virtual reality experiences.
As Eswatini works towards a digital and green economy, Khumalo’s message was clear: the future of AI should not be something Emaswati watch from the sidelines, but something they learn, develop and shape themselves.
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(Courtesy Pic)
