In South Africa, unemployment is still a major socioeconomic problem that has a substantial impact on marginalised populations and young people. The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. The practices of yesterday are becoming obsolete, and new AI-driven technologies are emerging and are having a tremendous impact on unemployment and employment. Therefore, South Africa, as a well-known player in the global economic spectrum, has to step up to make the most of the potential emerging opportunities through the adoption of AI-driven analytics and cutting-edge technologies to combat rising unemployment. In order to address unemployment in South Africa, this study suggests a comprehensive framework that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) driven technologies. The study has shown how AI technologies could be crucial in not only addressing the current issues of unemployment but also in setting the foundation for long-term economic growth and resilience against future shocks to the labour market. This was achieved through the analysis of a case study and empirical data from a South African perspective. Hence, by using the Google Trends Index (GTI), the authors were able to establish the relationship between the use of both AI-driven technologies and unemployment or employment.