Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt
- Cape Town managers seeking bigger salary budgets must show Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis how they are using AI and automation.
- The city is training senior managers in AI and already uses the technology for traffic cameras and business support.
Cape Town managers who want more money for staff salaries must first show how they are using artificial intelligence.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said he would not consider requests for bigger salary budgets unless departments could show they were adopting AI and automation.
According to MyBroadband, Hill-Lewis made the comments at the BizNews Conference on Tuesday.
“I will not even consider a salary proposal or request that comes to me unless you can demonstrate how you are introducing AI adoption and automation in your department,” he said.
Hill-Lewis said requests for extra salary money were among the most common issues he dealt with as mayor.
He said he did not want Cape Town’s bureaucracy to keep growing and believed technology could help departments work more efficiently.
The city is also training its senior managers to use AI.
Every four months, Hill-Lewis meets Cape Town’s top 300 managers for an AI training session. Managers are also being sent for separate training.
Cape Town already uses AI in several areas.
The city has tested traffic cameras that can detect drivers using cellphones or not wearing seatbelts.
It has also launched Maya, an AI-powered service that helps businesses deal with city processes, find opportunities and access support programmes.
Maya operates 24 hours a day and supports eight languages, including Afrikaans and isiXhosa.
Pictured above: Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Image source: Geordin Hill-Lewis/X
