EAST LONDON- The Border Kei Chamber of Business (BKCB) in collaboration with Eduvos College East London, hosted a thought-provoking conference on 17th July 2025 on AI within business at Eduvos College East London campus.
The event aimed to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence(AI) on the business landscape and equip attendees with the knowledge to adapt to this emerging technology.
The Relationship Banker at Investec Tamrynn Roos, who is also Chairperson of the Women’s Forum at BKCB emphasized the importance of collaboration stating that, “We thought that this was a very relevant topic and we opened it up to both women and men. We collaborated with Eduvos and that’s what the morning was about.”
The campus director at Eduvos College East London and Chair of the Tech and Innovation Committee at BKCB, Jethro Flügel, elaborated on Buffalo City’s efforts to become a smart city highlighting initiatives like the East London Industrial Development Zone(ELIDZ) Science Park.
He explained that, “We are trying to enable the region better and to understand that there are places like the ELIDZ Science Park that are available for you to use. There are podcast rooms, graphic design studios, 3D printers, innovation hubs, and think tanks that are all set up already, but the greater region doesn’t know about it.”
The conference emphasized that, AI is here to stay and will revolutionize various industries, including law, by speeding up processes and enabling more strategic thinking. As Flügel noted that, “AI is not about replacing jobs but about creativity, it’s about speeding up processes and allowing more strategic and adaptive thought patterns.”
However, this shift also raises concerns about job losses.
In addition one of the attendee entrepreneur Director at Nova AI Automation Agency Siphenathi ‘Sharon’ Poyana, which provides AI chatbots, AI agents and AI automations to businesses, shared her personal journey of learning AI skills to stay ahead of the curve and create new opportunities.
“The truth is that AI will never replace you, but people using AI will replace people. If I’m not going to be the one who’s going to do the company, someone else is going to be doing it, and they’ll be the one person who’s going to be rich in five years or ten years to come,” Poyana.
The conference concluded that collaboration between businesses, educational institutions and the community is essential to ensure that the region is prepared for the AI-driven future.
Chairperson of BKCB Roos added, “We need to work together and bring more of these events forward to our people. It will equip us, and we have a responsibility to know what’s happening in the greater economy and bring that to our members.”
By working together and embracing this technological shift, Buffalo City can position itself for growth and success.
Photographs: Emihle Dokolwana Emihle Dokolwana 21 July 2025
