As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday business systems, South African workplaces are grappling with a mix of excitement, uncertainty, and fear. For many employees, the concern may be: Will AI take my job? This fear is understandable, but ultimately misplaced.
Author: Jaimé-Lee Jacobs, director at Herold Gie Attorneys, Public and Employment Law Department
AI will not take over your job. However, someone who can use AI effectively might. The global trend appears not to be job replacement, but job evolution. The organisations that thrive will be the ones that help their employees evolve with it.
To integrate AI in the workplace, the real opportunity lies in designing workplaces where humans and AI deliberately complement each other, strengthening productivity, decision-making, and innovation without compromising ethics, well-being, or trust. Below are a few points to consider on this aspect:
1. Human–AI collaboration, not replacement
The dominant narrative that AI will replace human workers is misleading. What AI actually does well is handle tasks, not jobs. It’s exceptionally good at routine, repetitive, time-consuming work. That frees people to focus on higher-value skills such as creativity, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking.
South African companies adopting AI are already seeing a shift in roles, with employees spending less time on administrative bottlenecks and more time on client service, innovation, and relationship-building.
AI expands human capability. It doesn’t replace it – it amplifies it.
2. Ethical, transparent and accountable AI use
AI can only be successfully integrated if its use is responsible, explainable, and transparent. These are important policy consideration for organisations when integrating AI in the workplace.
Key considerations include avoiding bias in AI outputs, maintaining employee trust, and ensuring compliance with South African legislation such as POPIA and the applicable labour laws. These considerations must be clearly set out in organisations policies relating to AI usage in the workplace.
Importantly, organisations must be clear on accountability in AI workplace policies. Examples of this may include the following:
- The user of the AI remains responsible for how AI-generated content or insights are applied.
- The employer is accountable for deploying AI systems responsibly, providing training, and enforcing appropriate policies.
- AI outputs must always undergo human review, just as one would review a draft memorandum or meeting minute prepared by a junior colleague.
It must be remembered that AI is a tool. Humans stay in charge – legally and ethically.
3. Reskilling for an evolving workplace
With AI adoption rising, continuous learning becomes essential for organisations to roll out in the workplace. Four skill areas that will become increasingly important for employee training are the following:
- Critical thinking and verification – AI users would need to check AI outputs to ensure accuracy.
- Data literacy – AI users must understand how 'input' data drives AI and its results.
- Prompt-writing and digital fluency – AI users must communicate effectively with AI tools.
- Ethical and legal awareness – AI users must uphold standards of confidentiality when using AI tools, not filter input data that may be bias and must ensure compliance with all applicable privacy and labour laws (POPIA, Employment Equity Act, etc.)
Organisations should support the AI transition through training programmes, internal learning academies, and development plans that help employees upskill and adapt.
Given the rapid movement of AI in our everyday lives, upskilling on AI integration in the workplace is no longer optional. It is the key to ensuring AI enhances – not threatens – people’s careers and growth of an organisation.
4. Productivity and decision-making: The benefits and the risks
AI’s ability to analyse large datasets can significantly improve efficiency and empower faster, more informed business decisions. However, caution must be taken to avoid an over-reliance on AI-driven insights.
When employees depend on AI for every answer, we risk undermining genuine performance, judgement, and professional growth. This is why formal AI policies that ensure a balanced approach – where AI supports decision-making but does not replace human judgement – are imperative in the workplace.
5. Protecting Workplace Culture and Employee Well-Being
Introducing AI has deep implications for workplace culture. For this reason, it is essential that organisations must proactively manage the following aspects:
- Anxiety about job loss
- Concerns about surveillance or monitoring
- Over-productivity expectations
- Miscommunication through AI-mediated tools
- The emotional strain of rapid technological change
To safeguard well-being, organisations should communicate openly about how AI is being used, involve employees in policy development, run pilot phases before full rollout, and ensure mental health support during major transitions.
A healthy AI-enabled workplace is one where people feel informed, supported, and valued. Technology should increase autonomy – not remove it.
At its core, the AI conversation in the workplace should shift away from fear and towards possibility.
AI is reshaping work, but the real power lies in how humans use it. When organisations design workflows where people and AI work in partnership, the result is a stronger, more innovative, more resilient workplace.
With clear governance, ethical use, ongoing reskilling, and a commitment to human-centred design, South African companies have an opportunity to set a global example in integrating AI in the workplace responsibly and intelligently.
