At Inyosi, we have always believed that staying informed is the best way to serve our beneficiaries. In an environment as dynamic as South Africa’s economic landscape, we recognise that keeping pace with global shifts is a necessary part of business evolution. Recently, we took a deliberate step toward understanding one of the most talked-about developments in the modern workplace: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Our participation in a recent AI introductory course wasn’t driven by a desire to overhaul our business overnight but rather grew out of the strength of our professional network. We were invited to attend by Cartesian Capital Asset Management, a long-standing beneficiary and shareholder in Inyosi.
The course included other partners of Cartesian, such as Miton Optimal, a discretionary fund management investment business. This collaborative environment allowed us to explore the “broad strokes” of AI alongside peers who share our commitment to rigorous, responsible business practices.
While many of our staff already use AI for simple tasks, such as refining search queries or streamlining information gathering, we believe it is beneficial to go a step further as an organisation.
Our goal is not to implement complex new software suites, but simply to ensure the Inyosi team has a reasonable working knowledge of what AI is and, perhaps more importantly, what it isn’t. By embracing a baseline of “AI fluency,” we are keeping an eye on two practical outcomes:
- Ensuring our staff feel confident as they encounter new digital tools in their professional environment.
- As we learn, we can eventually use this perspective to better understand the technological crossroads our borrowers may face. We want to be able to offer an informed perspective to the black-owned businesses we support as they navigate their own challenges.
To be clear: we are still very early on in this journey. Inyosi has always been a business built on substance, and we are not interested in adopting technology simply for the sake of following a trend.
Our work continues to be defined by relationships and tangible impact. While the future of work may be increasingly digital, our commitment remains human-centric. We are exploring AI simply as one of many potential tools that may help us do what we have always done: provide steady, reliable support to the businesses and entrepreneurs we serve.
We don’t have all the answers yet, and we are approaching this shift with a sense of practical curiosity. We know that many in our network are observing these same changes.
How are you and your organisation embracing AI? Are you finding specific tools helpful for your day-to-day operations, or are you also focusing on general team literacy first?
Let us know – we’d love to hear how you are navigating this new landscape.