FILE PHOTO: AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration created on June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
By Nqobile Dludla
JOHANNESBURG, April 10 (Reuters) - South Africa on Friday unveiled a draft national AI policy, seeking public comment on sweeping proposals to regulate and accelerate AI adoption.
The policy, published by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, aims to position South Africa as a continental leader in AI innovation while addressing ethical, social and economic challenges.
It also marks a significant step in South Africa's digital transformation.
Public comments on the draft policy are invited by June 10.
The draft outlines plans to establish new institutions, including a National AI Commission, an AI Ethics Board and an AI Regulatory Authority. The bodies would coordinate policy, enforce ethical standards, monitor compliance, and provide mechanisms for redress and compensation in cases of AI-related harm.
The government also intends to create incentives such as tax breaks, grants, and subsidies to encourage private-sector collaboration, particularly for local startups and small businesses.
One of the key pillars of the policy is investment in strong and cost-effective supercomputing infrastructure to support AI research and development. It also calls for strategic investments in digital infrastructure, including partnerships with international cloud providers and regional supercomputing hubs.
However, it notes concerns that "reliance on foreign infrastructure could compromise the security of sensitive South African data." It calls for plans to reduce South Africa's "current hardware dependence on the U.S. and China" amid their ongoing geopolitical rivalry.
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by David Holmes)