#TechTidesTuesday Lite: AI Isn’t Just Automating Work—It’s raising the stakes
Off the cuff...
It's a crazy back-office week for me, so I'm keeping it lite and encouraging those of you who missed an article I published in January headlined Decoding DeepSeek—Will China's lean AI model alter global information flows? to check it out. It included personal reflections on AI's emerging impact on my 'world of work', and this is a quick riff on that piece.
Andile Masuku
Since putting it out, AI developments have continued to dazzle. Meanwhile, my interactions with healthtech-slash-fintech founders Neto Ikpeme and Sona Mahendra (whose Field Notes we're delighted to be publishing on African Tech Roundup once a month), as well as conversations with family members working in healthcare across the world, have led me to realise something important: the digitisation of service delivery—coupled with AI-driven due diligence and auditing—in critical fields like public healthcare will likely pile immense pressure on medical professionals to get things done, and done right. Always.
I reckon that the demand for absolute conscientiousness, paired with shrinking margins for human error, could lay a thick, anxiety-inducing layer to their work, especially with the looming threat of painfully exacting malpractice claims.
And on cue, word of something called Microsoft Dragon Copilot going live. Apparently, it's "the healthcare industry’s first unified voice AI assistant" to help clinicians streamline clinical documentation, surface information and automate tasks.
No one becomes a clinician to do paperwork, but it's becoming a bigger and bigger administrative burden, taking time and attention away from actually treating and supporting patients.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) March 3, 2025
That’s why we’re introducing Microsoft Dragon Copilot, the industry’s first AI assistant for… pic.twitter.com/xdOumO73Un
That's it. That's the whole riff. It came to me while lying in bed. Let me know if you think it's worth unpacking further in a longer piece.
In case you missed it... 🎧
If you're curious about the future of Africa's digital backbone, don't miss my podcast conversation with Dutch investor Rob Bergman (Chief Investment Officer, Unicorn Factory).
We dive deep into their intriguing carrier-neutral approach to digital infrastructure investment across the continent. Rob unpacks how combining operational expertise with strategic advisory services could unlock the $900 million in infrastructure mandates they're currently juggling, and why South Africa's liberalisation journey offers valuable lessons for the continent. It's a great episode.
Coming next week... ⏳
Next week, you can look forward to this column being hijacked by the insanely resolute founder and CEO of logistics tech startup Thumeza, Gugulethu Siso. She'll share insights from her pivot-filled journey to her company's current fintech proposition of revolutionising access to financing for small-scale transporters in Africa's supply chain sector.
Having been deep-fried in the trying fryer that is Africa's logistics landscape, Siso offers a rare perspective on survival and adaptation in one of Africa's most relationship-driven industries. Her experience spans multiple African markets—from Zimbabwe to South Africa, Botswana to Uganda—and includes securing partnerships with major industry players like Lori Systems and Value Logistics.
Don't miss it!
Until next Tuesday, cheers...
Andile