Data to Defiance: Youth, AI, and the 5th Industrial Revolution

Youth Month is a time to reflect on the potential, power, and voice of South Africa's youth. It's a reminder that young people have always been the spark for social, political, and now technological change. Today, that energy meets a new wave of disruption: artificial intelligence.

What the 4th Industrial Revolution Taught Us

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) changed the world by connecting billions of people through the internet and placing powerful tools into the hands of ordinary individuals. Suddenly, you didn’t need a fancy office or a trust fund to build something meaningful – just a bit of data and a drive to create.

This era gave birth to new types of millionaires and billionaires, many of whom were under 30 and operating from dorm rooms, not boardrooms. But more importantly, it reshaped access to opportunity:

• You could teach yourself anything on YouTube

• Launch a business from your bedroom on Instagram

• Build a brand on TikTok with just a phone

• Learn to code without paying for formal education

• Use a Twitter thread to launch a product or movement

The rise of the creator economy, side-hustles, and remote work were all amplified by the 4IR. For young people, it meant that even without institutional backing, there was still a way in. It wasn’t perfect, but it proved something crucial: access changes everything.

Now Enters the 5th Industrial Revolution

Now we’re in the midst of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) – a shift that builds on 4IR, but adds AI as its main engine. And while headlines are obsessed with job loss and robots taking over, the truth is more nuanced. The 5IR is about collaboration between humans and machines to elevate productivity, creativity, and impact.

AI is becoming less about gimmicks and more about real, daily empowerment. The youth today can access tools that even billion-dollar companies didn’t have a decade ago:

• ChatGPT to ideate, learn, draft, and even tutor

• Midjourney to turn text prompts into captivating images

• Google Gemini to integrate AI into your daily life, from research to planning and creative work

• AI-powered apps that handle editing, translation, brainstorming, and design – all from your phone

This means faster learning curves, shorter paths to execution, and fewer gatekeepers. The kid in the township can generate professional-grade visuals, write up a business strategy, or learn UX design in the same way someone at a top university can – theoretically.

Let’s Be Real: Barriers For Youth Still Exist

As inspiring as this all sounds, the reality on the ground isn’t so glossy. South Africa’s youth unemployment rate sits at 46.1% — nearly one in two young people are jobless, and the numbers are even worse for those aged 15–24 (Stats SA, Q1 2025).

We still face deep systemic issues:

• Under-resourced schools and communities

• Uneven access to devices, stable internet, and digital infrastructure

• Limited access to capital, mentorship, and networks for entrepreneurs

While internet usage has grown, it remains uneven. Around 74.7% of South Africans are internet users (DataReportal, 2024), but only 14.5% of households have fixed Wi-Fi or fibre access at home (Stats SA, 2023). Most rely on mobile data, which is more expensive and less stable.

Smartphone access adds another layer of inequality. Although 96% of households own a mobile phone, only 56% of South Africans have smartphones (GSMA, 2023) — the kind that give you real access to digital tools and platforms.

Then there’s the cost. South Africa ranks 149th out of 237 countries for mobile data affordability (Cable.co.uk, 2023), with 1GB costing roughly R35. For low-income households, that’s a major barrier. Research shows the poorest South Africans effectively pay up to 80 times more than wealthier citizens, relative to their income (Project Isizwe, 2024).

Bottom line: regular, reliable access to the internet — the baseline for participation in the digital economy — is still a privilege, not a given.

These aren’t minor inconveniences — they are real barriers. But they are not final verdicts. Because even within those constraints, young South Africans are creating workarounds:

• Using CapCut and Canva to launch content businesses

• Leveraging AI to prep for exams or apply for scholarships

• Selling digital services internationally via Fiverr or social media

• Launching side-hustles that generate income while studying or job-seeking

Young people are increasingly finding new ways around old problems. The rise of blended skills — tech, creativity, communication — is making youth the most adaptable and resourceful generation yet.

A New Kind of Uprising

Let’s not pretend AI is the cure-all. It won’t erase inequality or guarantee a job. But it gives us leverage. It gives us tools. It gives us time.

And when youth have time, talent, and tools — things shift.

This Youth Month, let’s honour our potential not just by talking about it, but by acting on it. That means using the tech we have to build the future we want. That means recognising that the revolution won’t be televised — it’ll be digitised.

Let’s channel that defiance. That "why not me?" energy. That "I’m not waiting" spirit.

We don’t need permission. We have access. We have vision. And most importantly, we have each other.

The future is being built right now — and it has your fingerprints all over it.

Resego LT Tabane

Tech & Creative Editor