As AI technology like ChatGPT evolves, so do the strategies and tactics used by cybercriminals. Steve Flynn, Sales and Marketing Director at ESET Southern Africa, says ongoing awareness is crucial in understanding how to manage potential cybersecurity challenges posed by these developing tools. As artificial intelligence (AI) technology becomes a new reality for individuals and businesses, its potential impact on cybersecurity cannot be ignored. OpenAI and its language model, ChatGPT, are no exception and while these tools offer significant benefits to almost every industry, they also present new challenges for digital security. ChatGPT raises concerns due to its natural language processing capabilities, which could be used to create highly personalised and sophisticated cyberattacks.

Applying artificial intelligence to big data can predict – and prevent – crime. When a social media site throws out an ad for a product you were just discussing over the phone, it's easy to jump to conclusions: They must be listening, surely. But the truth is that the site employed artificial intelligence (AI) to predict your behaviour. You searched for a yeast starter last week and commented on a friend's photo of sourdough bread yesterday. The ad for a bread-making course that seemingly pops up out of the blue was shown to you because the data predicted you might be interested in it – based on your own and previous users' behaviour.

South Africa could face a dystopian technological future, in which artificial intelligence works against the masses and only a few'haves' benefit, unless moves are made to harness technology for societal good now. This is according to Johan Steyn, chair of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) Special Interest Group on AI and Robotics (SIGAIR), who was speaking at the IITPSA Gauteng Chapter AGM this week. Steyn said the world was at a crossroads, where either a utopian technological future or a dystopian one was possible. "In a potential utopian future, smart technology can bring us an ideal society with higher living standards for everyone on earth. We could be post scarcity, and benefit from the avoidance of suffering and even the prevention of death. Technology could reflect and encourage the best we have to offer as human beings," he said.

Its widely accepted that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will add trillions to global GDP in the next 20 years, making it the one of the world's most powerful technology trends on par with the disruption and opportunities being created by cloud computing and blockchain. So is Africa getting a slice of the lucrative artificial intelligence pie and what are the current AI adoption trends in the region? Although Africa's AI industry is still relatively small compared to the US, Europe and Asia, this has not stopped some of the continent's most innovative start-ups from developing solutions that demonstrate how promising the technology can be for the African economy. However, AI innovation in Africa is often ignored or overlooked because the number of patents applied for and the amount of research funding available is not well aligned with local contexts, data is missing, and the map still looks essentially bleak. That said, the prospects for AI in Africa are positive, as the potential for innovation and growth in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is increasing.

While an omnichannel approach has become the norm across most industries, forward-looking businesses are considering the next level to gain competitive advantage. According to Andrea Tucker, Research and Development Head at e4, to disrupt a market using omnichannel strategy businesses will need to turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI). "AI has become a tool that is being utilised to improve customer service, but what has been achieved is really just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more that can be done to improve and evolve customer service to meet the needs of a much-changed and mobile customer," says Tucker. Given the nature and pace of business today, coupled with the blurred lines between a consumer and a client, Tucker says that self-service is set to boom as one of the key take-outs from AI.