South Africa's Communications Minister Faces Resignation Calls Over AI-Generated Policy
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi is under pressure to resign following his department's withdrawal of a national AI policy that was found to contain fabricated content generated by artificial intelligence.
Parliament debated the matter on Tuesday during the department's budget vote. Opposition lawmakers, including ActionSA Member of Parliament Malebo Kobe, argued that Malatsi should have already stepped down.
"Any minister whose signature appears on a document riddled with AI hallucinations would have long resigned," Kobe said.
The African National Congress also condemned what it called an "institutional embarrassment" caused by the forced withdrawal of the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy.
Independent Panel to Restart Process
Malatsi acknowledged the error but declined to resign. Instead, he announced that an independent expert panel will oversee creation of a new draft policy.
The panel will be chaired by Professor Benjamin Rosman and include experts in AI research, law, and governance. Malatsi said the group will ensure the reintroduced policy is "based on the best available evidence."
The minister described the situation as regrettable but indicated the review process will continue.
What This Means for Communications Professionals
The incident underscores risks that PR and communications teams face when AI tools are used in policy development and document preparation. For professionals managing organizational communications, the case illustrates how generative AI and LLM systems can produce plausible-sounding but inaccurate content - a problem that requires human oversight before publication.
Communications leaders working with AI for PR & Communications should establish verification protocols for any AI-generated material, particularly for official policy documents or public statements.
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