MTN chief says robotics, content creation will remain profitable

By Chisom Nwatu

…as technology renders many skills obsolete

Technology will continue to make a lot of skills obsolete because Artificial Intelligence (AI) will soon be able to carry out complex work, albeit better and faster than humans, according to Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria.

Specifically, accounting and engineering skills are fast becoming outdated as apps and AI take over those roles, he said.

Toriola, in an interview with Nairametrics, an online newspaper, said, however, that robotics and content creation will continue to be profitable going into the future.

“If it’s accounting or law that you’re studying, or if it is engineering, going by the way we teach engineering, a lot of that knowledge is going to become near obsolete, because there are apps that are going to do all those calculations, or you plug in the court case, it picks up the few keywords, using the artificial intelligence and tells you, this is the best defence, etc,” Toriola said.

“A lot of those skills are obsolete, and they have been effectively enmeshed into our computing and knowledge system that doesn’t require the human brain for it, and they can pull on it when they need it,” he said.

The MTN chief said the skills that are required for the future are skills around being able to imagine things in a completely different light, create ideas, reinvent business models, change the way things are done, increase things on productivity like food production, help with environmental issues like waste management, and all the other issues that are facing the world of tomorrow.

He also emphasized the importance and benefits of content creations, as there will always be demand for online entertainment.

“So, why is Cristiano Ronaldo a billionaire? Do you know why? Is it just because he’s the best footballer or Messi is the best footballer? It’s because they create content through their sport. And then leverage brand and consumer relationships in creating content and all sorts of other value across multiple industries; even through YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms, that’s what’s making the money,” he said.

“Therefore, the space for entertainment is going to be incredibly important. And creating content and entertainment, and knowledge for the future is important,” he added.

Advising the youths, Toriola noted that while there is no clear-cut guarantee to success, young people should consider acquiring skills in areas that are in high demand.

He also explained the value of networking as one of the social skills to be exceedingly important in the future.

“The ability to build and manage relationships, to interconnect all of those things is key. So social skills are also going to be incredibly important for people to succeed in the future,” he added.