Unveiling the Future of AI Advancements in South Africa

With the release of its top strategic tech trends for 2024, Gartner, Inc. has given the corporate world a look into the future of innovation fuelled by technology.

As companies throughout the world face enormous social and economic upheavals and technological revolutions, the forward-thinking companies that can identify and adapt to these trends will be the ones that succeed in the long run. As an IT company in South Africa, we understand these trends. In this article we will discuss the top IT trends in South Africa you should watch out for in 2024.

Generative AI

The term “generative AI” refers to a subset of AI that has the ability to generate new content, such as text, images, audio, and even synthetic data. Generative AI has been all the rage recently, thanks to innovative user interfaces that make it easy to make professional-quality movies, pictures, and text in a flash.

A dataset of user-generated content is fed into generative AI, which then uses an ML model to discover patterns and correlations. After that, it creates new content based on the patterns it learned.

Supervised learning is the standard method for training generative AI models; in this approach, the model is provided with a collection of human-generated content along with labels to identify each piece. The system then figures out how to mimic human-created information by mimicking its style and labelling it similarly.

According to Gartner, more than 80% of businesses would have either deployed GenAI-enabled apps into production settings or incorporated GenAI APIs and models by 2026. Thanks to open-source projects, cloud computing, and pre-trained models, GenAI is now available to everyone.

AI-Enhanced Product Creation

This isn’t just going to happen in South Africa; AI-augmented development is going to change software engineering globally. Software developers can simplify the design, coding, and testing processes by utilising artificial intelligence technologies such as GenAI and machine learning.

As the need for personalised software solutions continues to rise, this technology equips development teams with the means to address that demand while simultaneously increasing developer efficiency. Engineers will have more time to focus on essential strategic tasks, such as creating attractive business apps that boost productivity and address issues, with AI-infused development tools, which will help South African companies compete on a global scale.

Industry Cloud Platforms

Cloud systems tailored to individual industries are a great improvement over one-size-fits-all solutions.

By integrating platform, software, and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) features, vertical cloud platforms cater to particular vertical industries with tailored solutions. While these solutions rely heavily on public cloud services, they provide industry participants with a more nimble means of managing workloads and speeding up change in response to their segment’s unique data, regulatory, business, or other requirements.

Realising that generalised cloud services would fall short of meeting the unique requirements of many businesses gave rise to the idea of Industry Cloud Platforms. There was a rising need for industry-specific solutions due to the increasing complexity, regulation, and specialisation of many businesses.

“In effect, industry cloud platforms (ICPs) turn a cloud platform into a business platform, enabling an existing technology innovation tool to also serve as a business innovation tool,” says Gregor Petri, VP Analyst at Gartner.

Edge Computing

Location is everything when it comes to edge computing. Client endpoints, like user computers, are responsible for data production in conventional enterprise computing. The information is transmitted via a wide area network (WAN), such the internet, via the local area network (LAN) of the company, and then stored and processed by an enterprise application. The final product of that effort is then sent back to the client’s terminal. For the vast majority of common business applications, this client-server computing model has stood the test of time.

Conventional data centre infrastructures can’t keep up with the exponential growth in both the number of internet-connected devices and the amount of data generated by and utilised by these devices and enterprises. According to Gartner, by the year 2025, data generated by enterprises will originate from decentralised sources, accounting for 75% of all data. The possibility of transmitting massive amounts of data in contexts where either time or disruption is of the essence places enormous pressure on the already overloaded and frequently disrupted global internet.

With edge computing, data storage and processing are moved to the physical location of the data, with sometimes only a half rack of hardware needed to access and process data remotely over a local area network. Computing equipment is often housed in sealed or reinforced housings to prevent damage from dust, water, and other potentially harmful elements. The processing phase typically entails cleaning and analysing the data stream in search of business intelligence; the major data centre only receives the analysis results.

With our extensive background in the field, team of highly trained specialists, and dedication to staying current with technology trends, the ASG team is able to provide our clients with innovative IT consulting services that remove all uncertainty from the process of buying, setting up, and maintaining their IT systems. We can help you conquer your IT challenges in 2024 and beyond.

Navigating the IT Landscape of Tomorrow

As we delve into the future of technology in South Africa for 2024, it becomes increasingly clear that staying ahead in the rapidly evolving IT landscape requires not just awareness but a proactive approach to these emerging trends. Generative AI, AI-enhanced product creation, industry cloud platforms, and edge computing represent more than technological advancements; they are the harbingers of a new era in digital transformation.

Generative AI, with its ability to create novel content, is redefining creativity and efficiency, opening doors to unparalleled possibilities in various sectors. AI-enhanced product creation is set to revolutionize software development, elevating the capabilities of developers and accelerating innovation. Industry cloud platforms offer bespoke solutions that cater to the unique needs of different sectors, enabling more tailored and effective cloud services. Edge computing, addressing the limitations of traditional data centers, heralds a shift towards more localized, efficient, and rapid data processing.

For businesses in South Africa, these trends are not just opportunities but necessities for remaining competitive and relevant. Embracing these technologies will require a blend of strategic foresight, adaptability, and technological acumen. Companies like ASG, with their expertise and commitment to staying abreast of technological advancements, play a crucial role in guiding businesses through this terrain.

In conclusion, the IT trends of 2024 are set to shape the future of business in South Africa and beyond. For companies willing to embrace these changes and invest in these technologies, the future holds immense potential for growth, innovation, and success in a digitally driven world.