One of the most thought-provoking questions raised during the Altron and Microsoft AI Executive Breakfast, held at the Microsoft South Africa offices in Bryanston on 3 June, was not about automation or cost savings, but about opportunity.
Across organisations, there are important tasks, strategic initiatives, and creative pursuits that often remain unfinished because teams are constrained by time, resources, or competing priorities. The question posed to delegates was simple: What are the things we are currently not getting to, and can AI help us get there?
The half-day executive engagement brought together representatives from higher education, financial services, mining, retail, technology, and the public sector to discuss practical approaches to artificial intelligence (AI), data modernisation, organisational readiness, and digital sovereignty.
The discussions intentionally moved beyond the current AI hype cycle and focused on the organisational, governance, people, and data considerations required for successful AI adoption.
A recurring theme throughout the discussions was that AI should not be viewed solely as a tool for efficiency, but as a mechanism for expanding organisational capacity.
“AI should be seen as a productivity multiplier and an enabler of smarter execution,” said Oswald, Research Associate at Wits Business School. “By automating repetitive processes and reducing manual effort, AI gives teams more time and capacity to focus on strategic, analytical, and creative work.”
The conversation highlighted that many organisations are sitting on significant untapped opportunities. While employees often focus on delivering day-to-day responsibilities, important activities such as analysing large volumes of information, identifying emerging trends, strengthening stakeholder engagement, accelerating research, and supporting innovation initiatives frequently receive less attention than they deserve.
AI presents an opportunity to bridge this gap.
Rather than simply helping employees work faster, AI can help organisations tackle work that has historically remained on the periphery due to capacity constraints. This represented a shift from efficiency-focused thinking toward opportunity-focused thinking.
For organisations such as the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), this perspective is particularly relevant.
“AI gives organisations an opportunity to tackle important work that often remains unattended because of limited time, capacity, or resources,” said Charles Farirayi, Technology Lead at CAPSI, who is currently championing the Centre’s AI strategy. “One area we are not always able to get to fully is turning the rich research, data, and knowledge generated across our programmes into accessible, engaging, and practical formats for broader audiences.”
The discussions further emphasised that successful AI adoption is dependent on strong data foundations. Participants repeatedly returned to one of the event’s central messages: AI does not fix bad data, it accelerates and scales it.
Many organisations continue to grapple with siloed systems, inconsistent data definitions, ungoverned data pipelines, and fragmented information environments. Without addressing these underlying challenges, AI risks amplifying existing problems rather than solving them.
Delegates also explored the concept of AI readiness and what distinguishes AI-ready data from traditional data management approaches. Questions around governance, data quality, organisational culture, and workforce readiness featured prominently throughout the discussions.
The human dimension of AI adoption was equally important. Speakers noted that organisations are currently experiencing varying levels of AI adoption among employees, ranging from enthusiastic experimentation to cautious scepticism and uncertainty about practical applications.
This highlighted the need for structured AI upskilling programmes, clearly defined use cases, AI champions within organisations, and thoughtful change management strategies.
Farirayi noted that the true value of AI emerges when it becomes embedded within everyday workflows.
“Its real value emerges when people begin embedding it into their everyday workflows, not as a shortcut, but as a way to expand their capacity,” he said.
In communications and knowledge-driven environments, AI can assist with drafting reports, summarising complex documents, generating insights from data, supporting multilingual communication, and making information more accessible to diverse audiences. In research-focused organisations, it can help uncover patterns, synthesise findings, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making.
According to Ntando Hoza, Digital Communications Specialist, who attended the executive breakfast on behalf of the Centre, the opportunity lies in how AI complements human expertise rather than replacing it.
“AI does not replace human expertise. Instead, it augments human capacity by reducing the time spent on repetitive or administrative tasks, allowing professionals to focus on higher-value activities such as strategy, relationship building, critical thinking, and innovation,” said Hoza.
The discussions also explored the role of AI in strengthening stakeholder engagement, organisational learning, and knowledge management.
Oswald reflected on the practical applications this could have for institutions such as CAPSI.
“For CAPSI, this can support areas such as capturing insights from events and workshops through automated transcripts, action points, themes, and reports; strengthening continuous stakeholder engagement through personalised updates, knowledge recommendations, and follow-ups; and connecting research more directly to decision-making through evidence synthesis, comparative analysis, and decision-support briefs,” he said.
The final session focused on digital sovereignty and the growing importance of understanding where data resides, how it is governed, and what risks and opportunities emerge within an increasingly AI-driven global environment.
Participants noted that while concerns around sovereignty, cybersecurity, and regulation are legitimate, organisations must ensure they are making informed decisions based on a clear understanding of both the risks and the safeguards already built into many AI technologies.
For CAPSI and similar knowledge institutions, AI presents opportunities not only to improve operational efficiency but also to strengthen how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied.
Farirayi believes this has particular relevance for African knowledge production and accessibility.
“At CAPSI, AI can strengthen research synthesis, improve knowledge access, support regular analysis of large datasets through pattern detection, dashboards, and trend summaries, and make knowledge more accessible across Africa through translation, plain-language summaries, and multilingual content,” he said.
Ultimately, the executive breakfast challenged participants to move beyond viewing AI as simply another technology deployment exercise.
Instead, it encouraged organisations to ask a more strategic question: if AI can free up time, increase capacity, and improve access to knowledge, what important work have we not yet been able to do and what becomes possible once those constraints begin to fall away?
As organisations continue navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape, the answer to that question may prove far more valuable than any discussion about productivity alone.
