NMG Summit: AI will not kill your job, but someone using it might, leaders told

African businesses risk losing their competitive edge unless they overhaul outdated work processes, invest in staff skills and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations, industry leaders have warned.

Speaking on the second day of this year’s Nation Digital Summit, Special Envoy on Technology to the President Philip Thigo said access to AI tools was becoming widespread, shifting the competitive advantage from access to information to the ability to use it effectively.

“Intelligence is no longer the currency in which we trade, because intelligence is democratised. Anybody in this room has access to these platforms. You have the entire intelligence of the world in your hands. So, what is the differentiator if we are all intelligent? The only differentiator for me is leadership and how leaders enable their teams to filter through this democratised intelligence to deliver meaningful economic outcomes,” Mr Thigo said during a session on Leadership in the Intelligence Shift.

He challenged businesses and public institutions to rethink workplace systems, saying many had adopted digital tools without changing the manual processes through which they operate.

He pointed to a disconnect between how employees use technology and how organisations structure their work, arguing that conventional office routines were increasingly out of step with digital habits.

“Most Kenyans spend more time online between 10pm and 3am, yet your offices are open between 9am and 5pm,” he said. “You brought in tools, yet your business processes are still manual. We are still on suggestion box processes when young people are on platforms complaining about timing. How do we run enterprises or governments when there is such a disconnect?”

Chief AI Strategist at This is Digital Grace Murugi said AI was already changing how professionals work, with some using automation skills to move beyond traditional employment into specialised consultancy and service delivery.

Ms Murugi said her organisation had trained more than 1,000 people across different organisations in AI strategies, policy, automation and practical applications.

“I can confidently state that artificial intelligence adoption is not hype. Professionals are actively stepping out of traditional roles to run empowered operations,” she said.

She cited the example of a researcher who resigned from a major organisation on the third day of training after learning how to use AI for research. According to Ms Murugi, the researcher’s first deal was worth Sh4 million.

She also cited the use of automation in digital marketing and human resource management, where AI tools can help teams handle tasks such as screening large volumes of job applications.

Ms Murugi urged professionals to integrate AI into their areas of expertise rather than view it as a stand-alone technical skill.

“I recommend that professionals think about becoming an AI-powered practitioner whether in research marketing or human resources. It is the person using artificial intelligence within their specialised field who will overtake the person who refuses to adapt,” she said.

Mr Thigo, meanwhile, cautioned business leaders against spending on AI platforms without investing in the data infrastructure and workforce capabilities needed to make them useful.

He said organisations needed to treat AI adoption as a broader transformation of their operations, rather than a technology purchase.

“Part of leadership is investing in the entire stack. You invest in the infrastructure, which are the models and platforms, but you have not invested in the skills. You must invest in the data. You invest in data transformation, then at least your teams will run with some data within your company. AI without data does not work,” he said.

The speakers said the bigger risk for businesses was not AI itself, but competitors using the technology to work faster, improve efficiency and deliver services more effectively.

“You will not be disrupted by AI. You will be disrupted by the person using AI,” Mr Thigo said, urging organisations to embrace continuous learning, experimentation and faster decision-making.

“The technology does not have a mind of its own; it is the person who uses the technology who will disrupt you. We need to be able to unlearn, learn fast and move fast, being comfortable with failure because failure saves money and time.”

Mr Thigo said leaders had a responsibility to use technology to narrow disparities and improve people's lives, arguing that access to intelligence should translate into broader economic opportunity.

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