Category Archives: Innovation

Beyond Technology: The Unexpected Opportunities I Discovered at the 2026 Singularity Summit South Africa By Guest Writer Siraaj Cassiem

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This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the Singularity Summit South Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, representing my wife, Mishkah Roman-Cassiem, and her online publication, Mzansi Life & Style.


Now in its eighth edition in South Africa, the Summit has established itself as an important gathering for people interested in exponential technologies, innovation and the future of business. The 2026 event brought together more than 40 speakers from around the world, attracting business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, technology specialists and innovators who are exploring how emerging technologies will shape the way we live and work.


My initial reason for attending was to explore the exhibition area and discover exciting new technologies that might appeal to the everyday Mzansi Life & Style reader. I was particularly interested in seeing what new innovations were available and finding interesting stories that we could share with our audience.


However, what I discovered was something quite different from what I had expected.

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Singularity Summit South Africa 2026 unveils full programme of over 40 global speakers

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As artificial intelligence and exponential technologies are quietly reshaping industries, business models and the global economy, organisations face a growing challenge: deciding where the real opportunities lie and how quickly to act on them.


These questions will be at the heart of Singularity Summit South Africa 2026, which has unveiled its full programme, ahead of the Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October.

Presented in collaboration with Old Mutual, event sponsors Google Cloud and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and metaverse partner UBU, this year’s Summit will bring together over 40 speakers from around the world to examine the technologies, ideas and shifts influencing the future of business and society.

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AI Empowered Summit: Transforming Business and Society

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AI is everywhere, and whether you’re trying to get ahead of it or just make sense of it, the noise is real. What if there was one place to cut through the hype? One summit where you could explore how AI is transforming your business, your career, and your life?

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept, it’s already reshaping the way we work, hire, trade, treat illness, learn, and live. Whether you’re ready or not, AI is in your inbox, your sales pipeline, your investment strategy, your doctor’s office, your child’s classroom, and embedded in the data trails we leave behind every day.

Consider this: nearly 80% of hospitals now use AI to enhance patient care and streamline operations (Docus.ai – AI Healthcare Statistics, 2024). And according to McKinsey, generative AI could add up to US$4.4 trillion (R80 trillion) annually to the global economy. Yet as this powerful technology accelerates progress, it also raises urgent questions, about inequality, data privacy, misinformation, and the rapid disruption of entire industries.

Enter AI Empowered, a bold new summit inspired by EO Cape Town, designed to move beyond the buzzwords and into what’s actually happening now, and what’s coming by 2030.

Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre CTICC on 7–8 August 2025, this two-day event features global and local thought leaders from companies like Google, Salesforce, MIT Centre for Collective Intelligence, Woolworths, Discovery, Amazon Web Services, Pepkor and more.

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Emad Mostaque at SingularityU: The Future of Decentralised AI

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Emad Mostaque, Founder of Stability AI and CEO of Schelling AI, delivered a compelling keynote at the SingularityU South Africa Summit 2024, advocating for a future where decentralised AI empowers individuals and nations alike to ensure equitable access to this transformative technology, ultimately increasing the collective intelligence of humanity.

“AI allows us to do more things, as everyone has access to an army of really intelligent graduates at their fingertips,” said Emad Mostaque, Founder of Stability AI and CEO of Schelling AI, as he addressed hundreds of delegates at the SingularityU South Africa Summit 2024, in collaboration with Old Mutual. He took to the stage on day 1 of the summit to talk about ‘the future of decentralised Al’, alongside a host of other local and global speakers at the Sandton Convention Centre.

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Singularity Summit 2024: AI, Blockchain, and Future Innovations

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The Singularity South Africa Summit that returns in physical form on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 October 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, in collaboration with Old Mutual, is a few days away. The bold plans for the summit were revealed, including over 50 prolific speakers, robotic displays, interactive experiences, many of which are a South African first, and a metaverse track, another global first for a local event of this magnitude.

Building on the stellar line up of global and local thought leaders that will address artificial intelligence (AI) in great detail, decentralized identity, disruptive innovation, longevity mindset, scaling AI in the workplace, web3, metaverse, leadership, blockchain and the future of ESG and sustainability, additional speakers have been added to complete the roster, bringing the total speakers to over 50.

The impressive lineup of additional speakers, each bringing unique expertise to the table includes Nchaupe Khaole, Chief Investment Officer at Mineworkers Investment Company, Jacob Hinson renowned-African Investor and Dr. Rutendo Hwindingwi, CEO and Founder of Tribe Africa Advisory, who will both delve into the evolving landscape of venture capital in Africa, exploring the opportunities and challenges for growth in the region. Gilan Gork, a mentalist and bestselling author, will share insights on leveraging a growth mindset in an exponentially evolving world, while Dr. Reshma Sheoraj, Vice President for Strategic Engagements at World Data Lab, will offer a glimpse into the data-driven future with her talk on “The World of Tomorrow in Data.”

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