Absa: Agentic AI's Impact on Africa's Future Economy

Agentic AI could either expand Africa's opportunities or deepen global dependency, according to an Absa analysis. The world has seen the fastest adoption of a general-purpose technology in modern history with AI. Analysts estimate AI could add trillions of dollars to global GDP in the next decade. Generative AI is just the beginning of a larger shift to agentic AI and autonomous AI agents. What's interesting is agentic AI goes beyond producing outputs to making decisions and executing tasks with independence. This means software can pursue objectives, determining steps, tools, and priorities with minimal human input. For example, a user could assign an objective like improving customer onboarding. The key question now is what this next phase of AI means for Africa. There's a risk AI could deepen economic divides, as foundational systems concentrate power. However, Africa's digital evolution often defies conventional expectations. This matters because the continent's approach to this new technology will shape its economic future.