The UJ professor and principal is also the Deputy Chairperson of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, whose purpose is to assist the government in making the most out of the imminent digital industrial revolution through the suggestion of policies, and certain strategies.

Research indicates the revolution, which involves the fusion of artificial intelligence and automated machines, is most likely to disrupt every industry and completely transform others, with many across the world wondering what the future will look like. As the leading academic on Ramaphosa’s Commission, Marwala’s expertise spans the theory and application of AI to engineering, computer science, finance, social science, and medicine, making him an expert on the subject matter. The lecture is expected to kick-off at the Albert Wessels Auditorium on the UFS’ Main Bloemfontein campus at 10:00 am.

Ramaphosa announced the establishment of the commission and stressed the significance of adapting in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) earlier this year. He said “unless we adapt, unless we understand the nature of the profound change that is reshaping our world and unless we readily embrace the opportunities it presents, the promise of our nation’s birth will forever remain unfulfilled. Today, we choose to be a nation that is reaching into the future”.

The country is, however, battling its own challenges in the midst of trying to adapt, which include a sluggish economy and a high unemployment rate. On Tuesday, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the country’s first quarter Gross Domestic Product figures revealing the country’s economy contracted by a massive 3,2% quarter-on-quarter, the biggest decline in a decade. Economist at the North West University (NWU), Daniel Meyer, predicted the sharp decline, telling OFM News previously that the country’s economy is in a critical state.

OFM News