Inspiration struck swiftly for MUT Radio Programmes Manager, Awethu Kelese, who immediately put new skills into practice after an empowering session with a Microsoft AI expert. Participating in a two-day strategic lekgotla with the Department of Marketing and Communications on 17-18 February 2026, Kelese was so impressed by the potential of Artificial Intelligence that he created a complete, AI-generated talk show script during the workshop.
The session was led by Sandile Mahlaba, an AI expert from Microsoft, who demonstrated how the technology could be used to streamline plans and processes. As Mahlaba presented, Kelese was simultaneously exploring the tools on his computer.
“I just put a show script of a talk show that we are still planning,” Kelese explained. He was amazed by the results after stepping out to listen to the AI-generated audio. “It sounded like two people that I’ve never met just conversing about the content that was on the script.”
Kelese immediately saw a practical application for MUT Radio, particularly for maintaining programming consistency. “We work with students, and sometimes they’re not available for radio programmes assigned to them,” he said. With AI, we could just write the script and then put it there… the show goes on. So that was interesting.”
The discussion also touched on other advanced AI applications, such as real-time translation of isiZulu interviews into English. Mahlaba confirmed that while this is possible, it requires a properly installed and trained system. He also suggested creating AI-driven platforms to produce specialised content, such as podcasts explaining career paths in complex fields like chemical or mechanical engineering.
Kelese expressed his gratitude and confirmed he would be following up with Mahlaba to explore these innovative possibilities further for MUT Radio.