South African businesses are rolling out AI voice agents at speed. Most of those agents were built in the US. They sound American, “think” in English and process calls through servers on the other side of the world. Researchers at the University of Cape Town say the problem goes deeper than anyone selling a product…
AethexAI raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to build voice AI systems for enterprises in Africa and the Middle East, where customer support still depends heavily on phone calls. The round was led by 4DX Ventures, with participation from Enza Capital, Dorm Room Fund, Mojo Ventures and Stanford GSB 26 Fund. Individual investors included Stanford…
Just days before the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations final against Tanzania, Senegal midfielder Souleymane Faye is displaying remarkable maturity. Balancing leadership, composure under pressure and an unwavering focus on the trophy, the Senegalese playmaker understands the significant role he has to play for a Senegalese side that is aiming at lifting the…
Africa’s rising influence is being constrained by outdated global institutions, unfair borrowing costs and cascading global crises, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in Addis Ababa, as the United Nations and African Union reaffirmed their strategic partnership. Meeting with AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the two sides focused on deepening cooperation across peace and security,…
Nairobi — President William Ruto has called on African nations to take greater control of their development financing and reduce reliance on foreign aid and unsustainable borrowing, saying the continent must assert its rightful place in global decision-making. Speaking at the Africa Forward Summit on Tuesday, which brought together heads of state, including French President…
Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub Mobile voice revenue is following the same structural decline as SMS, Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said in an interview on Monday – a direct acknowledgement from the head of South Africa’s largest mobile operator that the product on which the local industry was built is fading as a meaningful…
Image: Jernej Furman OpenAI introduced three audio models for its developer platform on Thursday, aiming to make voice-based software agents more conversational and capable of completing tasks in real time. The launch of the application programming interface (API) moves the ChatGPT maker beyond transcription and chat towards agents that can listen, translate and act during…
Capitec CEO Graham Lee’s announcement on Wednesday that phone calls between Capitec Connect users are now free of charge is a significant development in the history of telecommunications in South Africa – but not in the way you might be thinking. The South African mobile industry was built on voice. For most of its first…
Kampala, Uganda — Africa’s place in an increasingly contested global order will come under scrutiny at a two-day geopolitics conference set for April 15-16 at Makerere University, as policymakers and analysts debate whether the continent is shaping or being shaped by intensifying external interest. The conference to be held under the theme “Africa and External…
Bruce von Maltitz, CEO of 1Stream. While traditional automated systems have long supported the foundations of digital customer service in SA, the integration of AI voice agents is a turning point that will revolutionise the way consumers engage with brands. So claims Bruce von Maltitz, CEO at 1Stream, who explains that for many years, interactive…
