NTT DATA recently hosted Imagine 2026 in Johannesburg and Cape Town, bringing together business leaders and technology partners to discuss the role of data, infrastructure, skills, and responsible AI in delivering real results from AI experiments. The event, attended by around 180 senior leaders, focused on helping businesses understand what they need to put in place before AI can deliver lasting value. The discussions centered on the gap between testing AI and using it across an organization.
The event highlighted the need for business leaders to be involved from the start of AI projects, rather than leaving them to technology teams alone. Successful implementation requires a clear purpose, people who take responsibility for results, and systems that can support AI beyond the testing stage. The cost of running AI, data storage, and security were also key concerns. NTT DATA promotes its Enterprise AI Factory approach as a way to bring these needs together, combining infrastructure, platforms, AI services, data management, governance, and ongoing support.
Amantha Naidoo, managing executive at NTT DATA South Africa, emphasized the importance of understanding how people respond to new technology and helping them adjust to new ways of working. She stressed that leaders need to take the human side of transformation seriously, including the uncertainty employees may feel as their roles change. Training and opportunities to learn new skills should form part of the process from the beginning.
Naidoo also raised the need to consider AI's wider impact on South Africa, including employment, youth unemployment, and how people can be prepared for changing workplace demands. She argued that responsible AI also means acting responsibly towards the country and its people, including finding ways to improve productivity while investing in employees' skills.
Bill Wilson of NTT DATA UK highlighted the importance of access to data for AI implementation. He stressed that organizations need to understand where their data is stored, how it can be shared, and which rules apply to it. Wilson identified better data sharing as an opportunity to improve services, particularly in government.
The discussions at Imagine 2026 connect with a wider question about the role AI can play in South Africa's development. New technology may create opportunities for businesses, but its value should also be measured by how it affects people and communities. NTT DATA's collaboration with the South African AI Awards adds another dimension to the discussion, recognizing AI projects that make a measurable difference.
The inaugural South African AI Awards, sponsored by NTT DATA, aim to recognize AI projects that make a measurable difference under the theme "Inclusive Socio-Economic Prosperity". The Awards also support Imagine 2026 by connecting the event's focus on enterprise AI to a wider community of South African innovators. The two initiatives focus on different but connected parts of the AI journey.
Key points
- Businesses need to move beyond AI experiments and build AI systems that can deliver lasting value.
- Successful AI implementation requires a clear purpose, people who take responsibility for results, and systems that can support AI beyond the testing stage.
- Leaders need to take the human side of transformation seriously, including the uncertainty employees may feel as their roles change.
