South Africa: Draft AI Policy Opens for Public Comment

In brief

South Africa’s Draft AI Policy has been gazetted for public comment. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) positions the Draft AI Policy as a roadmap of national principles, priorities and guidelines (rather than binding rules at this stage) that will inform future legislation, regulation and sector-specific guidance. The Draft AI Policy should therefore be seen as a point of departure, rather than government’s final or immutable approach to AI regulation. This collaborative approach provides industry stakeholders with an invaluable opportunity to help shape South Africa’s evolving AI governance framework. The Draft AI Policy seeks to bridge the gap between the “push” of current technological imperatives and the “pull” of future social aspirations, while addressing the weight of historical disadvantage.

Despina Lazanakis, Trainee Solicitor, has contributed to this legal update.

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