In a recent episode of “AI-Impact Talk,” host Thembekile Mrototo engaged in a thought-provoking conversation with Kutlwano Ngwarati, founder and CEO of High-Risers, on the real-world implementation of artificial intelligence in business settings.
As an AI automation strategist, Ngwarati guides businesses through the comprehensive process of AI implementation from strategy to execution. She challenges the common misconception that AI is simply a plug-and-play solution, emphasizing that successful AI integration must align with business strategy, ROI objectives, and desired outcomes.
“There’s this myth that AI is a plug-and-play solution,” Ngwarati explained. “What organizations have found is that they’ll implement this solution and not be able to get measurable impact around that.” Her company bridges this gap by ensuring AI implementations are strategically aligned with business goals.
Ngwarati shared her rule of thumb for AI adoption: buy off-the-shelf solutions for common problems where technology has been proven, such as CRM automation or invoice processing. Custom solutions, she advises, should be built when addressing competitive advantages, unique needs, or strategic objectives—particularly when dealing with proprietary information like customer segmentation or pricing models.
She also highlighted the option of hybrid approaches, where businesses can customize off-the-shelf tools. Security and data governance considerations often drive organizations toward custom solutions when off-the-shelf options don’t meet internal requirements.
Contrary to popular belief that AI simply eliminates jobs, Ngwarati described modern AI implementation as focused on augmentation and “human-in-the-loop” systems. She explained that AI typically automates portions of workflows rather than entire processes: “If a process has 10 steps, what we’ve seen is AI will automate six out of those 10 steps, and then the human will come in and just verify towards the end.”
These automation opportunities vary widely across industries, from invoicing and document processing to supply chain management workflow optimization.
Interestingly, Ngwarati revealed that 70% of High-Risers’ customers are SMEs, with only 30% being enterprise-level companies. She attributes this to the greater agility of smaller organizations, which can move more quickly to implement AI solutions. While large enterprises often face approval bottlenecks and lengthy decision-making processes, smaller businesses can experiment and adapt more rapidly.
“With SMEs, we absolutely have a lot more fun,” Ngwarati noted, though she quickly added with a laugh that her company wouldn’t “turn down big money” from larger enterprises.
Successful AI implementation, according to Ngwarati, requires leadership buy-in that goes beyond mere lip service. She describes ideal leaders as “futuristic forward thinkers” who read widely, are willing to experiment, and approach AI without fear.
“You can’t innovate or experiment if you come from a place of fear,” she emphasized, noting that middle management often expresses the most concern about job displacement.
When addressing fears about AI replacing jobs, Ngwarati suggests a shift from T-shaped employees to M-shaped employees. She also stresses the continued importance of creativity and human skills that AI cannot replicate.
Looking ahead, Ngwarati identified two major trends: the rise of “agentic workflows” that will automate entire processes end-to-end (with humans providing final verification), and the development of more industry-specific AI tools tailored to sectors like healthcare and manufacturing.
While acknowledging that AI is “overhyped,” Ngwarati firmly believes in its power and capability. She noted that South Africa, like many organizations, struggles with execution despite experimentation. Many businesses implement AI tools without clear strategic purpose, making ROI justification difficult.
As a member of South Africa’s National AI Strategy Advisory Council, Ngwarati considers both business needs and broader societal implications. She draws parallels to historical technological transitions, like the introduction of tractors in agriculture, which created new opportunities despite disrupting existing jobs.
“We are still at such an early stage,” she reflected, comparing current AI development to the early days of electricity, when innovations like refrigerators and washing machines were still being invented. The challenge now is empowering people to create tools that “plug into AI” and enhance our future.
For Ngwarati personally, “AI means a world of opportunities.” With characteristic confidence, she concluded, “Because of AI, I will become a millionaire, and really that’s what AI means to me—it’s just a range of opportunities and a range to make a massive impact in South Africa and abroad.”
Through conversations like these, “AI-Impact Talk” continues to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across business and society.
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