South Africa appoints expert panel to rewrite withdrawn AI policy draft

South Africa’s government has appointed an independent panel of experts to review and rewrite its draft national artificial intelligence policy after the original version was withdrawn due to fictitious references and concerns over undisclosed AI-assisted drafting.

Solly Malatsi announced the move during a parliamentary briefing on the controversy surrounding the earlier draft.

According to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, the revised policy is expected to be submitted to Cabinet by November 2026 and released for public comment in January 2027.

The original policy, published in April, aimed to position South Africa as a continental AI leader while addressing ethical, governance, and economic questions linked to artificial intelligence.

The document was later withdrawn after media reports identified references that could not be verified and appeared potentially AI-generated.

Government officials acknowledged that internal review systems failed to detect the problematic citations before publication.

The new seven-member expert panel has been tasked with reviewing the document, replacing flawed references, and recommending revisions or removals where necessary.

Two officials have reportedly been suspended pending investigation into how the draft was prepared and approved.

The controversy has shifted attention from the policy’s substance to the credibility of the drafting process itself. The government is now attempting to restore confidence not only in the document, but also in the procedures used to prepare official AI governance frameworks.