Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving from a futuristic concept to a practical tool that could transform everyday life in Eswatini.
Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) Artificial Intelligence Strategist Menzi Khumalo said the technology could support development in agriculture, healthcare, education, business and rural services.
Khumalo was speaking ahead of the International Eswatini Trade Fair, where RSTP will showcase practical applications of AI and other emerging technologies.
He said the focus should now shift from discussing what AI might become to demonstrating what it can already do to address real challenges facing the country.
Khumalo said RSTP’s approach is centred on empowering Emaswati to understand AI and use it as a tool rather than fear it.
“Once you understand it, you see it as a tool or a resource to be used as opposed to something to be afraid of,” he said.
Agriculture is among the key sectors where Khumalo believes AI could make a significant contribution, given the sector’s importance to Eswatini’s economy.
He said RSTP was also exploring opportunities to apply AI in healthcare and education, while government services were already benefiting from the country’s ongoing digital transformation.
Khumalo said AI could improve healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities where access to specialist services remains limited.
He explained that AI-enabled diagnostic machines could analyse medical scans and assist in identifying conditions such as pneumonia more quickly than traditional processes.
With unemployment remaining a major concern, concerns about AI replacing human workers have also grown.
However, Khumalo said the greater risk was failing to equip people with the skills needed to work alongside the technology.
He explained that AI still requires human involvement to provide prompts, monitor results, identify errors and make ethical decisions.
“AI will always need human intervention,” he said.
Khumalo encouraged Emaswati to learn the fundamentals of AI before relying heavily on AI-powered tools, saying a basic understanding of the technology was essential for responsible use.
He highlighted Coders Eswatini as one opportunity available to people interested in developing digital skills. The programme provides free digital training in partnership with Udacity, with courses covering areas such as AI, data science, programming and Android app development.
Khumalo urged Emaswati to register for the free AI Fundamentals course and begin developing skills that could prepare them for an increasingly digital economy.
He also cautioned users against accepting information generated by AI without verification.
According to Khumalo, Eswatini should aspire to become more than a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.
He said the country could explore developing AI systems capable of understanding and responding in SiSwati and other Nguni languages, potentially making the technology more accessible to people who are not comfortable using English-based systems.
Khumalo said RSTP was exploring different avenues that could allow local communities to interact with AI in their own languages.
He further stressed the importance of ensuring that rural communities are not left behind in the digital revolution.
AI-powered healthcare solutions, he said, could potentially bring diagnostic technologies closer to rural communities and reduce the time patients wait for specialist analysis.
