My journey into AI: from curiosity to purpose

How a chance project, new fatherhood and years of experimentation turned artificial intelligence from a technical curiosity into a lifelong mission.

Article link: https://open.substack.com/pub/johanosteyn/p/my-journey-into-ai-from-curiosity?r=73gqa&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Audio summary: https://youtu.be/XiJwEZNs9qs

I write about various issues of interest to me that I want to bring to the reader’s attention. While my main work is in Artificial Intelligence and technology, I also cover areas around politics, education, and the future of our children.

People often ask how I first became involved in artificial intelligence, expecting a neat career plan or a single defining moment. The truth is more ordinary and, I think, more hopeful. My journey grew out of three threads that slowly wove together: a proof-of-concept project at a South African bank that exposed me to AI in the real world, the adoption of my child, which made the future suddenly feel personal, and a stubborn curiosity that refused to let go.

Over time, those threads pulled me from experimentation to consulting, from private learning to public work on ethics and policy. This article is my attempt to show how that journey unfolded, and what it has taught me about how we should approach AI today.

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

A decade ago, for me, AI still felt like something that belonged in academic journals more than boardrooms. When a global consulting firm proposed an AI platform to analyse our banking data, the technology seemed distant and experimental. Models were clumsy, computing power was expensive, and most executives saw AI as a side project rather than a strategic priority. Yet that early exposure showed me that algorithms could augment human judgment, surfacing patterns that would otherwise remain invisible, and it quietly set the trajectory for everything that followed.

Since then, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Cloud infrastructure has matured, hardware has become more affordable, and generative models have moved AI from the laboratory into everyday life. At the same time, research has highlighted a sobering reality: many AI projects fail to meet expectations, not because of the technology itself, but because organisations struggle with data quality, change management and clear purpose. In South Africa and across Africa, this tension is especially visible as we try to harness AI for development while grappling with skills gaps, legacy systems and deep social inequalities.

INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS

My education in AI was never a formal academic path; it was a process of learning by doing. I deployed systems that did not work as expected, investigated why they failed, and tried again. Too much of our public conversation about AI still happens at the level of theory, frameworks and slogans. My own rule of thumb became simple: do not teach what people can search for online; focus instead on the messy lessons that come from real projects, real organisations and real constraints.

Working across sectors – from banking and retail to healthcare and technology – I saw the same patterns emerge. AI initiatives rarely collapsed because the underlying model was weak. They faltered because organisations treated AI as something to import rather than a capability to build. Global consultancies would arrive with impressive intellectual property and overseas experts, but leave without transferring knowledge or embedding skills. Without local ownership, models become brittle, dashboards gather dust, and the promised transformation never arrives.

Over time, my curiosity about the technology evolved into a concern for ethics, governance and education. AI systems can amplify bias, entrench surveillance and undermine trust if they are not designed and deployed responsibly. International frameworks such as UNESCO’s recommendation on AI ethics and the European Union’s regulatory efforts provide useful guardrails, but they are not enough on their own. In Africa, we need context-sensitive approaches that reflect local realities, histories and power dynamics. I have been fortunate to contribute to national discussions in South Africa, helping to think through how AI can support development while protecting our people and sovereignty.

IMPLICATIONS

For leaders, the core implication is that AI cannot be outsourced as a black box. It demands investment in people, processes and culture. Successful organisations treat AI as a long-term capability: they train their teams, iterate on use cases, and align projects with clear business and social outcomes. They ask hard questions about whose interests the technology serves and how it affects workers, customers and communities.

For educators, parents and citizens, the message is that AI is not reserved for a technical elite. It is learnable, usable and increasingly woven into daily life. We owe it to the next generation to demystify the technology, to teach critical thinking alongside digital skills, and to show that curiosity and resilience matter as much as coding ability. If our children grow up seeing AI as something they can shape, rather than something done to them, we improve our chances of a more humane digital future.

CLOSING TAKEAWAY

Looking back, my journey into AI was not a sudden leap but a series of incremental steps: an experiment at a bank, the responsibilities of fatherhood, years of reading and trial and error, and a gradual shift into advising, teaching and advocacy. If there is one lesson I would offer, it is that AI’s real significance lies not in outshining human beings, but in how it can be integrated to strengthen our humanity rather than weaken it. The future will not be shaped by algorithms alone, but by the values, choices and courage of the people who build and deploy them. That is the journey I remain on – and the one I hope many others will choose to join.

Author Bio: Johan Steyn is a prominent AI thought leader, speaker, and author with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence’s impact on business and society. He is passionate about ethical AI development and its role in shaping a better future. Find out more about Johan’s work at https://www.aiforbusiness.net