South Africa withdraws its AI policy because it was AI-generated
Source: Mashable Tech
Background
South Africa’s ambitions to become a continental leader in artificial intelligence hit an unexpected snag when the country’s draft national AI policy was withdrawn after fictitious, apparently AI‑generated citations were discovered in its source list.
Withdrawal Announcement
Solly Malatsi, South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, announced the withdrawal in a statement posted to X on 26 April. He said the lapse directly compromised the policy’s integrity.
“This failure is not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy.
The most plausible explanation is that AI‑generated citations were included without proper verification. This should not have happened. In fact, this unacceptable lapse proves why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical.”
The policy was reportedly near finalization in parliament when the fabricated references were discovered. Reuters reported on the incident.
Content of the Draft Policy
The withdrawn document outlined:
- The establishment of a national AI commission, an ethics board, and a regulatory body.
- Tax incentives, grants, and subsidies aimed at stimulating private‑sector investment.
South Africa’s stated goal, according to Reuters, was to position itself as Africa’s leading hub for AI innovation.
Wider Context
AI hallucinations—fabricated or inaccurate outputs from language models—remain a stubborn problem. Phony citations have also plagued legal documents, with numerous U.S. lawyers reprimanded for submitting AI‑generated briefs riddled with hallucinations. An online legal hallucination database maintained by lawyer and data scientist Damien Charlotin lists over 900 such cases in the United States and four in South Africa (excluding the current policy debacle).
Next Steps
Malatsi’s statement did not specify a timeline for producing a revised draft of the AI policy.