CIO OPINION
CIO
opinion
“
AFRICAN
ORGANISATIONS AND
ENTREPRENEURS STAND
TO BENEFIT AS THEY CAN
MORE EASILY ACCESS
GAME-CHANGING DATA
ANALYTICS THAT WOULD’VE
BEEN UNTHINKABLE A FEW
YEARS AGO.
//////////////////
TransUnion CEO Lee Naik
Digital with a purpose
As technology disruptions
become the norm, Lee
Naik, tech expert and
TransUnion CEO, says
five trends will dominate
the year.
Technologies converge as 5G lands
Biometrics, Robotics, AI, Augmented and
Mixed Reality. None of these technologies
are new – NASA has been using a digital
twin framework as far back as the Apollo
13 mission. What is new is the way in
which they are maturing and converging
at more or less the same time, allowing
them to build on each other and enable
new applications. Many potentially game-
changing technologies are expected to
be embedded in our core processes within
the next few years
Smart cities, for example, are exploring
the use of real-time Machine Learning
and edge computing to better deliver
existing connected services. As sensors
become cheaper and more ubiquitous,
more are gaining access to the digital
tools needed to mix and match
applications for truly new solutions.
At the same time, the catalyst that will
allow these technologies to become
38
INTELLIGENTCIO
accessible to the average African
consumer is finally within reach. Last year
saw the first commercially available 5G
service launched in Lesotho, with more
rollouts planned throughout 2019. With
5G offering speeds up to 1,000 times
faster than what we’re used to, digital
connectivity is about to take a quantum
leap forward in Africa. With it will come
the infrastructure needed for always-
connected devices and a fully immersive
IoT-driven society.
AI goes mainstream
In 2019, Machine Learning and AI are
no longer the sole domain of the big four
multinational tech companies (Google,
Amazon, Facebook and Apple – GAFA)
and major tech organisations. We’ve
already seen chatbots flourish as the tools
to build them have become available to
the Average Joe. Now, we’re seeing the
same happening with more advanced AI
analytics as DevOps embraces end-to-end
automation. The more complex, labour-
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