The University of Johannesburg hosted the fourth Social Media Summit for Government on July 8 and 9, drawing communicators, policymakers and digital leaders to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping citizen engagement. Warnings about synthetic media manipulation and calls for a trust-first approach framed a two-day programme that placed equal weight on technological capability and human judgment.
Accessibility before digital literacy, minister argues
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi used his keynote to argue that government systems, not citizens, must change. "We shouldn't be asking citizens to be digitally literate in an environment that was deliberately made to be ineligible," he said. He proposed a single trusted entry point for public services, backed by digital identity, data exchange and secure transactions working together.
Malatsi also flagged the barriers created by unequal data access and weak communication infrastructure, pressing technology companies to extend reach through partnerships, accountability and responsible self-regulation.
Deepfakes fool 99% of people, study finds
The summit's starkest warning came from Dr Caroline Azionya, president-elect of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa. She described the weaponization of public relations through AI-generated synthetic media, noting that large language models have become cheap and widely available. A 2025 study, she said, found only 1% of people correctly identified deepfakes.
"As a responsible and ethical communicator, you need to ensure that when you are communicating, you create value and do not bring harm to a society," Azionya said. She tied the risk directly to the profession's integrity: "Accredited systems can regulate who can practise the occupation. This means you can always go back to the source and trace people." Her remarks spotlight the practical stakes for communicators operating in environments where AI for PR & Communications can be exploited for disinformation unless strong ethical guardrails are in place.
Is Africa a mine, market or maker in the AI economy?
Several speakers framed AI as an extension of human intelligence, not a replacement. Philasande Sokhela of the JBS Centre for African Business pushed attendees to consider whether the continent is a mine, a market or a maker in the digital economy. "Africa should lead parts of the AI revolution," he said. "No matter how advanced technology becomes, society will always depend on something more important: trust. That is why human intelligence will remain our greatest competitive advantage."
The WireCar Philipstown Foundation showed one working example, having used AI tools to build a short film, a mobile game and an e-commerce platform around a Northern Cape wire car race to support the local community. A panel on social behaviour and AI drilled into the continuing weight of human judgment when machine output meets public communication.
Practical tools and a 2027 awards announcement
The programme included Umkho AI founder Botshelo Baloyi on AI for Government applications, and a session on how social media has disrupted mainstream newsrooms. An international keynote from Professor Martin Emmer of Freie Universität Berlin examined political social media engagement. Closing the summit, Decode founder and chief executive Lorato Tshenkeng announced the inaugural Social Media for Government Awards will take place in 2027.
Why this matters for PR and communications professionals
The summit's core message for communicators is that ethical frameworks and professional accreditation are becoming as critical as technical skill. The finding that deepfakes fool almost everyone places a direct burden on PR practitioners to verify sources and resist content that lacks traceability. As government communicators integrate more AI tools into workflows, maintaining public trust will hinge on transparency and human oversight. Professionals who embed these principles now will be better positioned when regulatory and accreditation structures, such as the Africa Declaration on ethical communication, take formal shape.
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