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The South African government has retracted its inaugural draft national AI policy following the discovery of fictitious citations within its reference list.
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi confirmed that the document contained AI-generated sources that were never verified by human editors.
The minister characterised the oversight as a significant failure that has compromised the credibility of the entire legislative framework.
Initially unveiled earlier this month, the policy was intended to establish South Africa as a regional leader in technological innovation.
The draft outlined the creation of several oversight bodies, including a National AI Commission and a regulatory authority, alongside financial incentives like tax breaks and grants to stimulate private-sector growth.
However, the revelation that the document used to regulate the technology was itself a victim of unverified AI output has halted these plans indefinitely.
Minister Malatsi emphasised that there would be consequences for those responsible for the drafting process and noted that no timeline has been set for a revised version.
He remarked that this “unacceptable lapse” serves as a humbling lesson on the absolute necessity of human oversight when utilising artificial intelligence.
The incident highlights the irony and risks associated with relying on the very technology the country intends to regulate.
