South Africa faces rising AI cybersecurity risks amid rapid adoption

Research from Marsh Africa and Oliver Wyman indicates that South Africans are adopting artificial intelligence faster than institutions can implement necessary cybersecurity and risk controls. This gap increases vulnerability to AI-enabled cybercrimes, such as voice cloning and sophisticated social engineering, which pose significant threats to the financial and healthcare sectors.

In South Africa, business leaders are being urged to move beyond merely renting external AI tools and instead focus on building proprietary intelligence layers to create lasting competitive advantages.

Across the broader continent, the World Bank suggests that Africa’s digital growth should focus on practical, locally adapted AI applications—such as tools for agriculture, education, and public services—rather than competing on frontier systems. While Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are leading markets, the bank warns that infrastructure gaps in electricity and connectivity must be addressed to prevent the continent from becoming solely a consumer of foreign technology. In Kenya, the Magical Kenya Travel Expo has highlighted digital transformation and AI as central themes for the future of the tourism industry.