The Chief Information
Officer for MTN Ghana, Bernard Acquah has expressed confidence about the future
of Artificial Intelligence (AI), acknowledging that AI offers immense potential
in efficiency, innovation, decision-making, and customer focus, adding that the
future of business lies in human-AI collaboration
He made this known at
the second edition of the MTN Business CTIO Roundtable Africa Conference held
at the plush Labadi Beach Hotel, which was well attended by industry experts,
academia, government officials, relevant government agencies and industry
partners.
Speaking on the theme "Driving Business Value Through Data and AI" as the guest keynote speaker, Mr. Acquah explained that in today's rapidly evolving digital world, the combination of AI and data has become a game-change noting that AI not only automates tasks, but aids in decision-making, and allows for a level of personalization previously impossible.
“Across the board, data and AI transform
operations. Businesses reduce waste, prevent problems before they happen, find
optimal pricing, safeguard themselves from fraud, and build strong customer
relationships,” he stated.
The Chief Information Officer of MTN is also
of the view that companies can't achieve their AI goals without prioritizing
data quality and management, adding that a well-organized data strategy ensures
that your AI models generate valuable outputs.
Touching on humans and AI further, Mr. Acquah
encouraged businesses to think of AI as a tool that can process immense amounts
of information, identify trends, and provide insights that humans can leverage
for strategic decisions, stating that with such a powerful tool, businesses can pass
on some creative problems and tasks onto the AI machine.
“Imagine if you could describe the concept of your business, and an AI
tool could generate a selection of logos for your company for you to select
from. If the images are not quite right, you simply tell the tool what to
change, and hey presto, a new set is generated in seconds!” he noted.
The second edition of the MTN Business CTIO
Roundtable Africa Conference provides a knowledge-sharing platform for
technology leaders and academia across Africa to deliberate on key issues in
technology and digital innovation. Participants at the Roundtable shared
industry insights, discussed challenges, and found solutions to drive digital
transformation in a globally connected world while supporting local innovation.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye