South Africa withdrew a draft artificial intelligence policy after discovering that several of its academic citations were apparently AI hallucinations, raising questions about the state’s ability to regulate the fast-growing technology.
Communications Minister Solly Malatsi admitted that the department failed to spot the fabricated references before releasing the draft policy for public comment: “It’s a major embarrassment.”
The withdrawn draft focused on setting up several new watchdogs to keep AI in check, including a dedicated commission and a special insurance fund to help people if the new technology caused harm.
South Africa is not alone in being tripped up by AI-generated content slipping past human supervision. Other global institutions — from US courts to European universities — have been in similar situations.