Artificial Intelligence: A Crucial Component of Global Cybersecurity Systems
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable component of cybersecurity systems worldwide. At the Gitex Africa Morocco 2025, experts from different continents shared their perspectives on integrating AI into African workflows and infrastructures.
Automation vs. Human Decision-Making
One of the key points of discussion was the essential distinction between automating manual tasks and delegating critical decisions to algorithms. "AI should not replace humans in strategic decision-making. It's meant to improve our processes, not eliminate jobs," emphasized Nkululeko Thangelane, Group Executive Head for Big Data, AI & ML at Vodacom, highlighting the importance of AI serving the workflow rather than substituting human skills.
AI in Cybersecurity: Detecting Patterns and Identifying Threats
In the realm of cybersecurity, AI has proven its effectiveness. Each computer generates enormous, heterogeneous, and often unusable data streams without AI. AI detects patterns, synchronizes events, and issues verdicts at machine speed. The goal is to identify signs of a cyberattack in real-time, often visible a posteriori in logs but difficult to exploit without advanced technology.
The Importance of Explainable AI
Another crucial point raised by the panelists was the importance of explainable AI. In critical systems, such as fraud detection, it becomes essential to understand the criteria that led to a decision. "Saying someone is a fraudster without justifying the classification is unacceptable. We need to be able to trace the elements that influenced the algorithm," reminded Mustafa Mustafa, Security Leader at Cisco EMEA.
Challenges to AI Adoption in Africa
While AI has successfully integrated into cybersecurity, structural challenges hinder its large-scale expansion on the African continent. "Infrastructure is the key to success. Africa still lacks the necessary capabilities, such as large data centers or massive GPUs used by global giants," acknowledged Jenny Mohanlall, Senior Director, Information Technology. Although local initiatives exist, they remain fragmented and insufficiently coordinated at the continental level.
Regulatory Diversity: A Barrier to Homogeneous AI Implementation
Finally, the regulatory diversity between African countries complicates the homogeneous implementation of AI tools. Companies active in multiple markets must juggle different legal frameworks, such as the European GDPR or South Africa's POPIA, requiring constant adaptations.
