A national AI policy was drafted using AI. It cited fake sources.

South Africa’s communications minister says that human oversight is sorely needed in the age of artificial intelligence.

The reason stems from a draft of the country’s new AI policy, which leaders hoped would address concerns about ethics and regulations related to the technology.

‘There will be consequence management for those responsible.’

The country’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mmoba Solomon Malatsi, made a shocking admission that he would be withdrawing the national AI framework after its integrity had been “compromised.”

Malatsi took to his X page on Sunday to explain that an internal review confirmed the policy included fake citations, likely generated by AI.

“The Draft … contains various fictitious sources in its reference list,” the minister wrote.

The draft had been made available to allow for public comment, but scrutiny over the fake sources sparked a review after just three weeks.

“This failure is not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy,” the politician continued. “The most plausible explanation is that AI-generated citations were included without proper verification. This should not have happened.”

The 40-year-old said the incident proves why “vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical.”

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The policy draft outlined a new National AI Commission, ethics board, and regulatory authority around AI that would coordinate to enforce new policies and ethical standards, Reuters reported.

It also set out framework for compensation related to any harm caused by the use of artificial intelligence.

The South Africans added emphasis on building their digital infrastructure in terms of cloud computing and computer farms, while calling for a reduction in reliance on hardware from China and the United States .

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RODGER BOSCH/AFP/Getty Images

Malatsi seemingly took his lumps in his post, calling the ordeal “a lesson we take with humility.”

“I want to reassure the country that we are treating this matter with the gravity it deserves. There will be consequence management for those responsible for drafting and quality assurance,” he added.

Malatsi is a member of South Africa’s Democrat Alliance party, which holds the second-most seats in the National Assembly. His position as minister is in South Africa’s Government of National Unity, which occurs when there is no party that wins an outright majority.

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