Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has called on universities to prepare students for an increasingly artificial intelligence (AI) driven world, while ensuring that South Africa develops the skills and research capacity needed to shape the technology.
Delivering a keynote address at the 4th Universities South Africa (USAf) Higher Education Conference -- held at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Convention Centre on Wednesday -- Manamela said AI is making the traditional role of universities in developing critical thinking, testing evidence and taking responsibility for knowledge even more important.
“The university has always done more than transmit information. It has taught people to question an argument, test evidence, practise a discipline and take responsibility for what they claim to know. Artificial intelligence makes these functions more urgent,” Manamela said.
He cautioned that AI systems could produce content without establishing whether their claims are true and can generate answers without understanding the social consequences of acting on them.
“Its usefulness does not remove our responsibility to judge it.”
Manamela said South Africa’s response to AI must extend beyond the question of whether students use the technology to complete assignments.
He said universities and the country need to consider who develops AI technologies, whose languages and experiences are represented, who controls the infrastructure and who benefits from the knowledge produced.
“We need graduates who can use these tools intelligently and question them competently. We also need researchers capable of helping to build them,” the Minister said.
The Minister said African language technologies, appropriate datasets, computing capacity and sound research partnerships are of educational and developmental importance.
“This requires the humanities and social sciences, alongside engineering and the natural sciences. Questions about bias, power, labour, law and human dignity cannot be settled by computing power alone,” Manamela said.
The Minister called on universities to move beyond general discussions about AI and make practical choices about teaching, assessment and research capacity.
Manamela said technological change will also require people to return to learning throughout their working lives. “Universities must consider how they can make that possible, while maintaining the depth and standards that give their qualifications value.”
Taking place from 7 – 9 October 2026, the conference brings together university leaders, academics, researchers, professional staff, students, labour representatives and international guests to generate practical insights, strengthen partnerships, and develop collective strategies that will enable universities to remain responsive, adaptable and impactful.
The conference theme: “Co-creating a Resilient Future”, reflects the recognition that resilience, innovation and renewal can only be achieved through meaningful collaboration. – SAnews.gov.za
