Eduvos becomes latest member of South African AI Association

As an institution, Eduvos is always looking ahead with its future-facing learning model. It is therefore an honour to be partnering with SAAIA, an industry body focused on promoting the advancement of responsible AI in South Africa by uniting practitioners across commercial, government, academic, startup and NGO sectors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become the technology of 2023, with many chatbots and AI tools garnering millions of users.

Eduvos, voted South Africa’s best private higher education institution, acknowledges the impact that AI has, and will increasingly have, on the global economy and workforce. For this reason, the institution has opted to embrace AI and similar new technologies, in order for its students to have the knowledge and skills needed to remain relevant in the dynamic job market.

"Embracing AI in higher education is not just a choice; it's an imperative for preparing our students to excel in a world increasingly driven by technology,” says Eduvos head of information technology faculty, Dr Amos Anele. “As we join the SAAIA, Eduvos reaffirms its commitment to equipping our students with the essential skills to thrive in this AI-powered era. We believe that by integrating AI education into our curriculum, we are not only shaping the future of our students but also contributing to the advancement of AI technology in South Africa and beyond."

The SAAIA’s vision is to find opportunities and challenges that AI and related technologies can bring to South Africa. Eduvos is eager to work alongside SAAIA and its members to harness the power of AI to help South Africa gain an advantage in the fourth industrial revolution. The SAAIA’s vision aligns with Eduvos’s goal to be Africa’s leading meta-university by 2027.

As a member of the SAAIA, Eduvos will help to contribute to the South African AI community and build relationships with other members who can help open doors of opportunity for Eduvos students.

AI has garnered a lot of attention for the disruptions it will cause for many industries. There is a forecast that AI will reduce or replace 300 million jobs. However, the AI industry is also expected to reach a market size of $407bn by 2027 and hold many job opportunities. Companies state that they will, in the future, rather hire a workforce with the knowledge and skills of this new technology.

Dr Nick Bradshaw, the founder of SAAIA, stated: “The current debate on the use of artificial intelligence reveals both the challenges and opportunities as well as possible harms that AI and related smart technologies could herald for both citizens, companies and the wider economy. Education sits at the heart of helping everyone understand and embrace these technologies as our research has shown that AI and related automation technologies are currently impacting 120+ traditional industries globally.

"The speed of this disruption is faster than any other industrial revolution that has gone before it. As such SAAIA seeks to encourage stakeholders in the adoption of responsible AI for commercial and societal benefit with a primary focus on regulation, economic growth, trade, investment, fairness, equality and inclusivity. We welcome Eduvos as a new member as they share our mission and vision to ensure that the opportunities Artificial Intelligence present are possible and available for everyone to embrace – not just a select few."

Eduvos is committed to the employability of its students and is therefore embracing AI in order to better equip its students with the relevant skills needed to navigate a world of changing technology. The institution recently launched a Microsoft Azure AI Engineer certification to meet the demand for skilled AI professionals.

Eduvos has also partnered with EON Reality, a US-based tech company, to bring AI and extended reality into its teaching methods. Eduvos students, affectionately called Vossies, will interact with new technologies on a daily basis, which will give them a competitive edge in the workforce.

Find Eduvos online

Website: eduvos.com
Twitter: @edu_vos
Instagram: @eduvoseducation
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