Jack Ma shares pearls of wisdom

Humans will always be smarter and wiser than machines and will never be replaced, Ma says

For any country to realize development, it must pay keen attention to education, entrepreneurship, and efficient and transparent governance, Jack Ma, the Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist told South Africans recently.

Ma, the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate, was the guest speaker at the South Africa Investment Conference dinner, held on Oct 26 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ma said the best investment by any country is to invest in education and its people. Second is to trust, build and support entrepreneurs and make them the heroes. Third, and most important, he said, is to have a transparent and efficient government.

Noting that we are living in a digital era, Ma said it's important for any country to change its education system to benefit from artificial intelligence.

He said the first technology revolution, which was machines, released the power of humans. The second, which was motor vehicles and trains, solved the distance challenge. The third technology revolution released the human brain and fundamentally changed human life.

However, the fact that the education system has been geared toward industry over the past 200 years presents a challenge, because what children are learning will be replaced by machines, he said. There is therefore a need to change the education system.

Ma said children should be taught that they can do better than machines. They can be more creative, innovative and constructive, and machines will never replace humans.

"There is a lot of talk about artificial intelligence and a fourth industrial revolution, and people have started to worry. Many are worried that artificial intelligence will replace people. Trust me, human beings are always smarter and wiser than machines, and they will never be replaced," he said.

During the second technology revolution, when trains were developed, people feared losing their jobs. In fact, more jobs were created, Ma said.

"Machines will always be stronger than human beings - that's why we design them. Computers never forget; they calculate faster, they never become hungry and upset, they don't sleep. However, machines may be smart, but human beings are wiser. Machines only have chips. Humans have hearts. Hence we should have confidence instead of fear," he said.

Ma noted that governmental digitization is important in order to serve people more effectively and at lower cost.

"The South African president is very enthusiastic in embracing this technology revolution, and I will be very happy to join forces with him to ensure that you have a smart government," Ma said.

He said that, in his opinion, every country should pay attention to people younger than 30 because they are the internet generation. They should also pay attention to the companies that have fewer than 30 employees, because the next technology revolution is a big challenge for big companies but a great opportunity for small companies.

"The next 30 years will be a period of both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity," he said. "Most people will complain, but those who will solve the problem of complaining will be successful."

His advice to entrepreneurs: "Don't give up, be optimistic, have dreams, believe in the future, work with the team and get things done today."

Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, thanked Ma for his insights. "I have learned about the importance of the three Es - education, entrepreneurship and efficient government," he said.

The president said he particularly like the advice that entrepreneurs should be treated as heroes.

"We should move away from what we have been fed and are accustomed to, where we called entrepreneurs all sorts of names and treated them like enemies and white monopoly capitalists. That must end today. Let's treat them like heroes because they are here to develop and grow our economy," he said.

Ramaphosa said he looked forward to South Africa's partnership with Alibaba, which will include training of South African youth on entrepreneurship and the establishment a training hub in the country.