Our latest study shows that only 8% of the world's largest companies are successfully scaling their gen AI efforts. These "front-runners" are doing more than automating workflows — they're redefining how business gets done.

For South African organisations, this insight arrives at a critical moment. As local executives navigate persistent load shedding, economic uncertainty and skills shortages, Gen AI presents an opportunity to modernise operations, improve productivity, and build long-term resilience. But it also comes with a warning: falling behind on AI maturity could widen existing gaps between market leaders and laggards — both globally and at home.

Our study is based on responses from 2 000 C-suite and data leaders across 15 countries and nine industries — shows that businesses reaping the greatest rewards from AI are those that scale it beyond experimental use. These front-runners have built strong data and AI foundations, aligned their AI investments to high-value areas and embedded AI capabilities into the very core of their strategy, operations and talent model.

In contrast, the majority of firms remain stuck in pilot mode. They face familiar obstacles: siloed data, outdated IT systems, low talent readiness and limited executive sponsorship. For South Africa, these barriers are amplified by real infrastructure challenges, a patchy digital skills pipeline and an uneven regulatory landscape.

Yet South Africa also has unique advantages. We've long been early adopters in fintech, mobile innovation and digital banking. Our financial services sector is globally competitive. Our telecommunications and retail players are accustomed to scaling digital platforms. And our public sector is increasingly looking to AI to unlock service delivery efficiencies. The potential is real — what's needed now is strategic intent.

The companies succeeding with Gen AI follow five imperatives, each highly relevant to the South African context.

Lead With Value

AI should be treated not just as a cost-cutting tool, but as a lever for growth and innovation. South African executives must define AI value propositions that go beyond operational efficiencies — think risk-based underwriting in insurance, fraud detection in financial services or predictive maintenance in utilities. Globally, Accenture found that when AI investments are championed by the CEO or board, they are 2.4 times more likely to exceed expectations. This level of leadership involvement is still rare in South Africa, but increasingly necessary.

Reinvent Talent and Ways of Working

South Africa's AI skills gap is a known bottleneck — but it can be addressed. Companies can invest in cross-disciplinary upskilling, form partnerships with local universities and coding academies and support internal AI literacy programmes tailored to different roles. Local banks and insurers, for example, are beginning to embed AI training into broader digital transformation initiatives. The goal is not just hiring AI specialists — it's preparing the whole organisation to work alongside AI.

Build an AI Enabled, Secure Digital Core

Effective AI requires a modern, scalable, and secure digital foundation. This means rearchitecting legacy systems, standardising data and integrating Gen AI into core platforms. Many South African companies are mid-journey in this regard — migrating to cloud, consolidating data lakes or deploying customer experience engines. What's critical is ensuring these investments are aligned with scalable AI use cases and secure by design, particularly given regulatory frameworks like POPIA.

Close the Gap of Responsible AI

Globally, AI risk incidents — bias, misinformation, hallucinations — are on the rise. South African companies must embed responsible AI governance into their deployments from day one. This involves not only compliance but building public and customer trust. Leading insurers, for example, are adopting "privacy and ethics by design" approaches, training staff in ethical AI use and establishing AI oversight boards. Responsible AI isn't just a safeguard — it's a market differentiator.

Drive Continuous Reinvention

The most AI-mature companies don't view implementation as a one-off project. They evolve, experiment and learn — constantly. For South African firms, this means institutionalising change management, keeping a sharp focus on ROI and building internal capacity to pivot fast. One local bank, for instance, has over 200 AI use cases in development, with a rigorous process for evaluating which ones to scale and which to sunset, whilst a South African telco has several scaled Gen AI use cases in production. Reinvention is no longer episodic — it's continuous.

What's more, the benefits are measurable. Globally, front-runners saw their revenue grow seven percentage points faster than companies still experimenting with AI. They also delivered significantly higher shareholder returns and capital efficiency. These aren't vanity metrics — they're indicators of sustained business value. South African companies that want to close the gap must act now. Importantly, AI maturity isn't just about technology. It's about leadership, mindset, governance and people. Our environment is complex — but complexity is not an excuse for inaction. The same conditions that make innovation hard also make it necessary.

There is no final finish line in the AI race — only progress markers. The world's front-runners have a head start. But South African businesses still have time to catch up — if they're willing to move decisively, lead with purpose and place the right strategic bets. The question is no longer whether AI will reshape the market. It's whether we will shape it — or be shaped by it.

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*Image courtesy of contributor