On Tuesday, 15 October 2024, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) celebrated the professorial inauguration of Professor Talita Greyling, a leading figure in happiness economics, at the Ubuntu Chambers, Madibeng Building, Kingsway Campus. Her inaugural address, titled “Transforming Well-being Measurement Through AI and Big Data,” explored cutting-edge methods for assessing well-being, highlighting her groundbreaking work in this field.
Following Professor Greyling’s address, a response was delivered by Professor Martijn Burger, Academic Director of the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation (EHERO) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Professor in Economics of Happiness at the Open University of the Netherlands and Visiting Professor at UJ.
The event was attended by esteemed guests, including Prof Bongani Ngqulunga, UJ’s Senior Executive Director of University Relations, Student Affairs, and UJ Sport, and Ben Marx, Acting Executive Dean of the College of Business and Economics.
In her address Prof Greyling emphasised the importance of measuring well-being beyond traditional economic indicators like income, noting that “income alone does not guarantee higher levels of education, better health, or a better society; it is merely a means to an end.” She argued that governments must adopt more comprehensive metrics, focusing on improving citizens’ quality of life. Inspired by Peter Drucker’s adage, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”, her research aimed to create precise, measurable indices of well-being that policymakers could use to make targeted, effective interventions.
Prof Greyling detailed the evolution of well-being measurement and emphasised the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data. She discussed the development of a multidimensional quality-of-life index and her groundbreaking Gross National Happiness.today (GNH.today) project, which initially utilised Twitter data and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to produce near real-time happiness indices.
However, after Twitter’s academic projects were suspended, her team adapted by using Google Trends™ and a curated set of emotional keywords to develop a robust, near real-time happiness index. Machine learning models were tested to accurately predict national well-being, offering policymakers timely insights to guide decision-making.
Professor Greyling’s work addresses the limitations of traditional well-being surveys, such as high costs, time lags, and response biases. Her approach provides almost instantaneous feedback on national sentiment, revolutionising the way governments and organisations can respond to public well-being.
A distinguished career
Professor Greyling, internationally recognised for her pioneering contributions to well-being economics, Big Data, and AI, has led numerous innovative projects, including GNH.today, which has been adopted by Stats New Zealand. Her research on COVID-19’s impact on happiness has earned top academic honours, including the 2024 International Research Fellow Award and UJ’s Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Award for Innovation in 2021.
With honorary appointments at Auckland University of Technology and Swansea University, and leadership roles in global research organisations, Professor Greyling is a prominent figure in academia and media, known as a “voice of happiness” in South Africa. Since 2018, she has secured over R7 million in research funding for international projects, cementing her status as a leading economist in Africa.
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