By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
HARARE — She has graced runways, posed for cameras, and carried the hopes of a nation on her elegant shoulders.
But nothing could have prepared Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2026 Roseanna Hall for what she encountered at this year’s Zimbabwe Agricultural Show — a crash course in artificial intelligence.
The reigning beauty queen was among the visitors drawn to Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s technology-packed stand at the Harare Agricultural Show, where the telecommunications giant was showcasing its latest digital innovations.
But while the stand buzzed with activity and offered plenty to see, it was one product in particular that captured Hall’s attention: EcoAI Token, Econet’s new artificial intelligence service.
Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2026 Roseanna Hall and businessman Nigel Chanakira
And she left impressed.
“I learned so much. Very impressive stand, as you can see, but most exciting for me was the new EcoAI app,” she said during her visit.
What excited the beauty queen was not simply the technology itself, but its potential to make sophisticated AI tools accessible to ordinary people.
“I actually loved how they’re bringing together artificial intelligence and making it accessible for the everyday person,” she said.
EcoAI Token brings several leading AI platforms together in one service, giving users access to tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Mistral through a single platform.
For Hall, the affordability of the service was another major attraction.
“It’s literally 10 cents a day to access the app,” she said, adding that she particularly liked the idea of bringing powerful digital tools within reach of everyday users.
Her reaction captures a broader shift in the way artificial intelligence is entering popular culture. Once largely associated with technology companies, programmers and futuristic ideas, AI is increasingly finding its way into everyday activities — from creating content and researching information to studying, brainstorming and solving problems.
And for a generation raised on smartphones and social media, the attraction is increasingly about convenience and accessibility rather than the complexity of the technology behind it.
Hall herself represents a new generation of Zimbabwean public figures whose work exists at the intersection of entertainment, digital media, communication and personal branding.
As Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2026, she is set to represent Zimbabwe on the international stage, while her background in modelling, communications and digital content has given her an appreciation of the power of technology to connect people and ideas.
Her visit to Econet’s stand offered a glimpse of that intersection between beauty, entertainment and technology.
Econet’s stand reflects that convergence, with visitors able to explore a range of products and services spanning artificial intelligence, digital payments, insurance, mobility, infrastructure, connectivity and remittances.
For Hall, though, the biggest discovery was clear.
“I’m definitely going to be downloading the ecoAI app,” she said.
And perhaps that is the most telling sign of AI’s growing appeal: when a beauty queen walks into an agricultural exhibition and walks out planning to download an AI app, technology has well and truly entered the mainstream.
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