South Africa Unveils Locally Made AI Tutor as Manufacturer Targets 20,000 Jobs

South Africa Unveils Locally Made AI Tutor as Manufacturer Targets 20,000 Jobs

August 15, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

South Africa has launched a locally developed humanoid AI tutor manufacturing plant and showroom in Durban, with its developer targeting the creation of 20,000 jobs over the next five years as it seeks to expand the use of artificial intelligence in education.

The IRIS AI Humanoid Tutor facility, established by BSG and Technologies founder and chief executive Thando Gumede, was launched at Dube TradePort, marking the company’s move into local manufacturing.

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Nomalungelo Gina said the project could contribute to job creation while strengthening South Africa’s capacity to develop and manufacture advanced technologies. Her remarks were delivered by Anitha Ramsuran, manager for transformation and innovation for inclusive development at the Technology Innovation Agency.

Gumede said the company’s long-term ambition is to deploy IRIS across South Africa’s 23,000 schools. The planned 20,000 jobs would come from manufacturing, technical support, training and related activities within the innovation ecosystem, she said.

IRIS is designed to assist teachers rather than replace them, providing learning support, personalised assistance, learner-performance analysis and classroom engagement tools.

Gumede said the idea emerged from her experience as a teacher, where she encountered the time required for lesson preparation, marking and analysing learner performance. She said developing the technology took more than seven years of persistence, self-funding and continued development, including teaching herself to code after struggling to secure resources to hire developers.

The government views the manufacturing project as part of a push to build domestic technological capability. Gina said local production of IRIS could support enterprise development, industrial capacity and opportunities for young people while shifting South Africa towards becoming a producer of advanced technologies.

The showroom at Dube TradePort will allow schools, government agencies, investors and communities to see the technology and explore its potential applications in education, skills development and other areas associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Dube TradePort chief executive Hamish Erskine said the development reflected the industrial zone’s effort to attract technology-intensive businesses through digital infrastructure and other facilities.

The company’s immediate focus will be on refining IRIS, increasing adoption and testing its effectiveness in real learning environments, Gumede said.

Source: FSX Business News