Author: Chris Anu

Every few months, a new headline declares that AI will replace customer service agents. The latest projections even suggest that by 2029 AI could autonomously resolve 80% of common customer service queries. But at 1Stream, we’ve seen first-hand that this isn’t a story about replacement – it’s about reinvention. The future of customer experience (CX) isn’t human or AI. It’s human plus AI, working together to create faster, more intelligent and more empathetic service. Beyond the hype: what’s really happening in AI CX The BBC recently explored the evolving relationship between AI and customer service agents, noting that while “AI…

Secure and seamless SMS authentication. Every second counts when your customer receives a fraud alert at 3am. The difference between a blocked card and a drained account often comes down to how quickly that message arrives. For financial institutions serving customers across borders, SMS banking alerts have evolved from a convenience into a security necessity that reaches every mobile phone on the planet. Key takeaways:SMS delivers real-time banking notifications with 98% open rates, regardless of internet connectivity.Two-factor authentication via SMS adds a critical security layer for account access and transactions.International SMS reaches customers on any device type, from smartphones to basic…

iONLINE Connected Networks, a leading provider of global enterprise internet of things (IoT) and mobile connectivity solutions, is pleased to announce the significant expansion of its network architecture through a partnership with Stacuity, a pioneering provider of cloud-native mobile core technology. Through Stacuity’s global managed edge network, iONLINE is establishing a distributed mobile core infrastructure in strategic regions, expanding its global points of presence and enabling localised, high-performance mobile connectivity with unmatched control, scalability and agility. This infrastructure also delivers low-latency data routing, localised traffic management and compliance with regional data sovereignty laws. Rigidity threatens enterprise competitiveness Global enterprise IoT…

Standard Bank is one of the financial institutions that have partnered with the Department of Home Affairs to bring government services closer to communities. Standard Bank has completed the procurement of devices and infrastructure required to expand Department of Home Affairs (DHA) services to 20 additional branches from early 2026.This forms part of the DHA’s new digital partnership model, which aims to make public services more accessible through collaboration with the private sector. Two Standard Bank branches are already piloting the new system.The expansion builds on Standard Bank’s existing DHA service offering, which allows clients to apply for and collect…

TechCentral is ending 2025 on a high note: the publication notched up record monthly readership in October, propelled by a strong slate of news and feature articles. The traffic record, which topped the previous record set in March 2025 for both unique visitors and pageviews, reinforces the fact that TechCentral’s quality and credible journalism are helping attract a growing number of readers to the platform. The achievement came despite the growing impact of AI search results, in which search engines like Google increasingly provide answers to web users’ search requests in AI summaries rather than directing them to the source…

Habib Mahakian, VP for southern and sub-Saharan Africa, Dell Technologies. Research from Dell Technologies shows that while 96% of South African companies believe AI will transform their industry, only 42% are in the early-to-mid stages of their GenAI journeys.This ambition-action gap was a central theme at the Dell Technologies Forum 2025 in Kyalami, Johannesburg yesterday.The global study, which surveyed 2 850 business and IT decision-makers, including 50 from SA, found 92% of local businesses see AI as a key strategic priority. However, 94% face challenges in integrating it, and 34% struggle to keep up with the pace of disruption.Dell executives…

DeepSeek senior researcher Chen Deli Chinese AI developer DeepSeek made its first public appearance in almost a year after it became a global sensation, fielding a senior researcher who told a government-organised internet conference that he was pessimistic about AI’s future impact on humanity. Chen Deli took the stage alongside the chief executives of five other companies including Unitree and BrainCo at the World Internet Conference in the city of Wuzhen, in the eastern province of Zhejiang. The six companies together are known in China as “six little dragons” for AI. Asked about DeepSeek’s global success and how its open-source…

The use of digital money is growing. (Image source: 123RF, created via GenAI) Cash is still the dominant payment form among South Africans, even as the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) pushes towards a digital economy under its Vision 2030 initiative.PayInc’s inaugural Cash Index report shows steady uptake of PayShap, launched in March 2023, as an alternative to cash payments. Electronic fund transfers have surged, with volumes jumping 219% over the past 15 years.SARB has seen cash in circulation moderating since 2020, and it is now at R180 billion in 2024 – about 2.5% of gross domestic product and 3.7%…

Mustek CEO Hein Engelbrecht Business AI, a South African start-up backed with seed capital from Mustek, has launched an AI marketplace for businesses. The marketplace promises to connect South African companies to “vetted, enterprise-ready artificial intelligence solutions and accredited service providers”. Business AI CEO Rudi Dreyer said: “The marketplace gives African enterprises access to the same trusted technologies as the world’s largest players – but in a way that’s local, accessible and built for how we actually do business.” The platform allows companies to move their workloads to whichever AI tools make most business sense The platform allows companies to…

CSIR CEO Dr Thulani Dlamini. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) says it has made “significant progress” in technology commercialisation through its special-purpose tech entity, CSIR C3.The announcement was made during the release of the CSIR’s 2024/25 annual financial report. The CSIR says it signed 12 new licence commercialisation agreements with industry partners during the reporting period.It adds that the establishment of CSIR C3 has accelerated efforts to translate intellectual property (IP) into impact.“Key technologies such as MycoSure, Stratafy and Herbathone have advanced closer to market readiness through strategic collaborations. The CSIR’s portfolio of licence agreements and technology…