14th August, 2018 – Cape Town, South Africa : How will artificial intelligence affect the working population in South Africa?  This is the survey question posed by Eugene Jacobs, Group Human Capital Enablement at MMI Holdings, Cape Town.  AI Expo Africa have partnered with Eugene to share his survey with the wider AI / Data Science community in South Africa to better understand how AI will affect the working population of South Africa.  The results from this ground breaking survey will be shared with the community once completed.

Introduction 

Artificial intelligence is described as the work processes of machines that would require intelligence if performed by humans. People from all walks of life will be affected with the introduction of AI. People perform different functions in the workplace. Research has shown a clear and overall theme is evident from the historical industrial revolutions (Roubini, 2014). These themes are; high unemployment, machines productivity outperforming human labour productivity, human capital cost of manual labour exceeding that of the machines introduced. Just as in previous Industrial revolutions with introduction of machines, AI’s and Robots don’t get ill, they get things done quicker, they can work 24/7, they are more accurate than humans and cannot be distracted by fatigue or other external factors (Wisskirchen et al, 2017). Schwab (2016) argues that the fourth Industrial revolution, as in the in the previous revolutions, it has the potential to raise global income levels and improve the quality of life. However what is not known is, as AI and Robotics are introduced in South Africa, how will the future work environment look, how quickly will this become a reality and how will the introduction of AI affect livelihood of the working class?  AI will change not only what we do, but also who we are (Schwab, 2016).

Survey

This survey intends to explore what effect Artificial Intelligence (AI) would have on the working population in South Africa and gather data to help assess the state of Artificial intelligence in our workplace.  Therefore the survey is intended for people currently living in South Africa.

The survey questions will focus on people’s race, gender, income bracket as well as the understanding of AI and why they have a specific view on the subject matter. The survey will provide data for the author to analyse, so it is important that the questions are easily understood, unbiased, clear, and concise.

With this in mind, the author drafted questions taking the following into account.

1. Do people use Artificial Intelligent systems?
2. Are people scared of Artificial Intelligence being introduced in the workplace?
3. When grouped together by age, gender, race, industry, do people share similar thoughts?
4. Where is AI headed in the future?
5. How much do people currently use Artificial Intelligence?
6. Are the work people do monotonous?
7. Do people think AI will replace them in the workplace?

Access to the survey

The survey is free to take part in and can be accessed here: https://unioflincoln.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5BzybCdGCFMg5w1

Contacting the author

• Mr Eugene Jacobs
• Group Human Capital Enablement
• MMI Holdings, Parc du Cap 6, Mispel Road, Bellville, Cape Town, 7530, PO Box 2212, Bellville, 7535
• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About AI Expo Africa
Taking place on 9-11 September 2018, Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, AI Expo Africa 2018 is focusing on real world applications & trends driving the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Economy in Africa and seeking to build the largest Business focused AI Community across the continent. With 400+ delegates, 50+ speaker programme, 40+ exhibitor Expo Hall, Innovation Cafe and workshops, the event is aimed at CxO / C Suite delegates with the primary goal of educating business leaders about AI applications and opportunities impacting the Enterprise today as well as generating real business and learning opportunities for sponsors, speakers & AI innovators across the region. If you would like to join the event as a delegate or would like take up one of the exhibition, Innovation cafe or speaking opportunities simply visit the links below

• Register– Save via our Early Bird ticket sale
• Speak– Submit a paper for one of our speaking opportunities
• Sponsor– Secure your company a place in the Expo Hall & networking evening

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