What’s Next — First Technology’s Barry Neethling on how AI-powered tools are transforming business in South Africa

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, First Technology’s Barry Neethling discusses the power of AI technologies in the workplace.

Neethling is the Chief Technology Officer at First Technology Group — and has worked at the company for 40 years.

He is an expert in assisting South African companies to get the best value for their Microsoft licenses, and has been involved in licensing for about 30 years.

Neethling is also skilled in the process of helping IT companies and their customers migrate to the cloud for the right reasons, while containing their costs appropriately.

The interview

In this What’s Next interview, Neethling discusses why it is important for South African businesses to experiment with and embrace the latest AI technologies — like Microsoft Copilot.

He unpacks the major security and privacy concerns that come with AI tools accessing company data, and explains how businesses can address these challenges.

Neethling then discusses the potential benefits of AI in the workplace — including its impact on productivity and employee satisfaction, and how AI can be used as a “superpower.”

He provides his view on the pace of technological change and the future capabilities of AI, and concludes the discussion by giving advice to people who are hesitant about embracing AI and other new technologies.

Watch the full interview with Barry Neethling, below.