Artificial intelligence is everywhere, but understanding is scarce. The real challenge for the creative industries isn’t access to tools, but a lack of context, capacity and people who know how to use AI not just to create content, but to create impact.
Across South Africa, the creative economy is brimming with potential. It contributes just under 3% of GDP, employs close to one million people, and is increasingly recognised as a driver of innovation, identity, and economic growth.
But as AI reshapes everything from animation pipelines to post-production workflows, the question is no longer whether creatives will use AI, it’s whether they’ll be ready.
Why training matters more than tools
Earlier this year, Johannesburg-based video production company Breadbin Productions launched its AI for Impact Academy, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed not to teach software, but to teach strategy.
Developed in partnership with a Cape Town post-production studio and backed by the National Film and Video Foundation, the programme trained a diverse cohort of learners, ranging from recent graduates to seasoned editors, in the art of using AI as a creative collaborator.
With a focus on real-world application, participants were guided through the process of using generative tools to ideate, visualise, and execute creative concepts across formats. The goal? Not to replace human creativity, but to amplify it. To help creatives move faster, pitch braver ideas, and unlock new ways of storytelling.
“We see AI not as a threat, but as a multiplier,” says Campbell. “It enables our teams, and now our learners, to work faster, visualise ideas more clearly, and pitch braver concepts without waiting for a shoot or post budget.”
The skills gap is widening
This type of mindset is rare, and it’s urgently needed. According to recent research, 78% of South African organisations say they urgently need AI skills, yet most struggle to find qualified talent. Executives believe 40%of their workforce will require new skills in the next three years due to AI.
And while 66% of South Africans feel they have the skills to use AI appropriately, only 53% have received any formal or informal training.
The gap is real. And it’s growing.
Building capacity for transformation
What Breadbin’s Academy clearly shows us is that AI literacy, while certainly a technical skill, fundamentally requires creative skill too. The ability to understand how tools fit into workflows, how they can be used ethically, and how they can support rather than dilute the creative process is essential.
By embedding AI at the heart of production thinking, industry players can help build transformational capacity.
And the timing couldn’t be better.
South Africa’s youth unemployment rate sits at 62.4% for ages 15–24, and 40.4% for ages 25–34. Yet digital skills initiatives across the country show that, with the right support, young people are ready to thrive in a technology-driven world.
Recent programmes have equipped tens of thousands of graduates with coding and AI-related skills, clear evidence that the appetite for digital learning is strong and the potential for impact is enormous.
But the creative economy needs more than coders. It needs storytellers. Designers. Editors. Animators. People who understand how to use AI not just to build systems, but to build meaning.
Africa’s next creative boom starts with literacy
Breadbin’s Academy is a reminder that the future of Africa’s creative economy won’t be defined by the tools we use. It will be defined by the people we train. The stories we tell. And the courage we show in building something new, not just for clients, but for the continent.
We’ve always been obsessed with pushing the latest tech to its limits. But the Academy reminded us that innovation means nothing unless it’s shared. That’s what makes it sustainable.
As AI continues to evolve, the creative industries will need to evolve with it. Not by chasing trends, but by investing in people. Breadbin’s work shows that when training is prioritised, when creativity is protected, and when technology is used with intention, the result isn’t just better content. It’s a stronger, more resilient creative economy.
Africa’s next creative boom won’t be built on tools. It will be built on talent. And that starts with literacy.
Garon Campbell is founder and AI director at Breadbin Productions, an integrated motion, animation and innovation studio pioneering virtual production and AI-driven storytelling in South Africa.
