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GOOGLE SEARCH TRE ND S REVEAL
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South Africans keen to grow their AI skills and qualifications - as searches for AI reach all time high
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was searched more than ever in 2024 globally and in South Africa, with South African users searching for the term 120% more than this time last year.
Search trends in South Africa related to AI continuesearches for “how to use AI” nearly doubled (+70%), while searches for “what is AI” have increased by 20%.
With interest in AI growing, South Africans are looking to build AI skills and qualifications - with searches for “AI course” and “AI jobs” nearly doubling.
22 August 2024: New search trends released by Google today show that people in South Africa are searching for AI more than ever before.
Search interest in “AI” has reached a record high around the world and in South Africa, where searches have more than doubled (+120%) since the same period last year. Searches in South Africa for “what is AI” also increased by 20%, while searches for “how to use AI” increased by 70%.
South Africans are looking to use AI to build their careers and creativity - with trending searches including “AI image generator”, “AI writer”, “online AI chat” and “logo maker AI” - all of which were ‘breakout’ searches in 2024, growing over 5,000% in interest since this time last year.
The research also shows that South Africans are keen to grow their AI skills and qualifications.
Searches for “AI jobs” and “AI course” both nearly doubled (+80% each). Searches for “AI and business” doubled (+100%) while searches for “AI and startups” increased by 30%.
Aligned with its commitment to AI as a force for positive societal change, Google offers free AI training programs to Africans through its Hustle Academy. This initiative, designed for entrepreneurs, includes modules specifically tailored to teach participants how to leverage AI to improve their businesses. Since its launch in 2022, Hustle Academy has empowered over 10,000 businesses. Additionally, Google supports promising AI-focused startups in Africa through its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program. This program, which assists startups tackling African challenges, selected 10 AI-driven ventures for its 2024 cohort.
Search interest in cybersecurity and AI also doubled across South Africa (+100%), while people showed a clear interest in the future of AI for science. Searches for AI and doctors doubled (+110%), while searches for AI and medicine increased by 50%, searches for AI and hospitals increased by 60% and searches for AI and healthcare increased by 20%.
Paul Mayanja, Acting Google SA Country Director,: “AI has the potential to create opportunities - from the extraordinary to the everyday - for everyone: bringing new waves of innovation, social and economic progress. So it’s no surprise that the people of South Africa are already looking to make the most of this transformational technology - finding ways to learn more AI skills to boost their career, creativity, and society.”
The results come months after Google’s global survey, “Our Life with AI”, which showed that 88% of South Africans were interested in learning more about AI. The survey also showed that 60% of South Africans were excited about AI, with 76% agreeing that “society as a whole” is likely to benefit from AI.
Notes to editor:
All trends, unless stated otherwise, are measured from January 1 - July 15th 2024. All percentage increases are in comparison to January 1 - July 15th 2023.
About Google’s work with AI:
Google began working on AI in 2012, first by training computers to recognise cats on YouTube. We released TensorFlow in 2015, our internal machine learning and AI software library. In 2016 we published our AI Principles for the first time: our public outlining of how we pursue AI boldly, responsibly and collaborativelyas well as AlphaGo and Transformer.
Earlier this month, at Made by Google, we shared how we’re bringing the best of Google AI to more people and more phones with updates across Gemini, Android and the Pixel portfolio. See the announcements here
Google is also using AI to address some of society’s biggest challenges. In Ghana, Google’s AI Center is working in collaboration with InstaDeep and the UN to better detect locust outbreaks and implement control measures. While in Kenya, Google is working with Jacaranda Health to improve maternal care.
