Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Malatsi ​said there ​would be consequences for those responsible for drafting the policy, ​and did not say when ⁠a new one would be released. (Credits: Instagram/ sollymalatsi)

South Africa has withdrawn its first draft national AI policy after revelations that it contained fictitious sources in its reference list which appeared to have been AI-generated.

“The most plausible explanation is that AI-generated citations were included ⁠without ​proper verification. This should not have happened,” Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi said.

“This failure is not a ​mere technical ​issue but has compromised the ⁠integrity and credibility of the draft policy,” he wrote in a ‌post on X on Sunday.

The policy, unveiled this month for public comment before finalization, sought to position South Africa as a continental leader in AI innovation while addressing ethical, ⁠social and economic ⁠challenges.

It outlined plans to establish new…