South Africa’s plan to regulate artificial intelligence

Communications minister Mondli Gungubele says South Africa should not fall behind on generative AI developments and miss out on the potential economic benefits of the technology.

These comments came during a national artificial intelligence (AI) summit hosted by his department.

Stakeholders at the summit discussed approaches for a “better AI future” in South Africa, including creating policy and regulatory experiments and setting goals for what the country requires from AI.

AI standards and guidelines will help guide developers, users, and policymakers on what AI software development and applications comply with the existing AI paradigm.

They also brainstormed plans to develop an understanding of AI’s technological possibilities, provide certainty about the rapidly evolving technology, and manage its negative impacts.

“The role and potential of AI in assisting the world to get the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals back on track by 2030 is an imperative and a responsibility that every nation of the world must be seized with,” the minister said in his keynote address.

“Indeed, the era of generative AI is just beginning, and as a country and continent we cannot and must not allow ourselves to be left behind.”

The minister also noted that AI adoption provides economic benefits.

Citing a study conducted by the Access Partnership, he said it is projected that South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya’s economies stand to gain a combined $136 billion (R2.5 trillion) from adopting and using AI.

However, the technology must be regulated to ensure it is used responsibly and benefit South Africa.

“To institutionalise open AI, explicit regulations related to the following five important considerations must be put in place in relation to the development of continental and national AI Policies and Programmes,” said Gungubele.

This includes the following:

• Following a data-centric approach linked to the developmental agenda;
• Putting people before technology;
• Using AI for economic and growth prospects;
• Taking a multi-stakeholder approach centred on the public-private partnership model;
• Developing governance and regulatory AI framework; and,
• Developing institutional mechanisms located within localised agencies.

“We must as a continent recognise that increased availability of digitised data in the global economy, unlimited access to computing power and lower data storage costs are important in driving the growth of AI globally,” the minister added.

Gungubele also announced that the government will appoint an AI Expert Advisory Council, comprising a collection of “eminent persons” to guide South Africa through the development and implementation of AI policy and regulations, among other things.

This includes the appointment of Professor Vukosi Marivate, who will head an AI task force in collaboration with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.

He will also be tasked with recommending the experts to join the AI Expert Advisory Council, which Gungubele said will be announced as soon as possible.

“My expectation is that after today’s session, we will have a clear way forward towards leveraging this cutting-edge technology to resolve some of South Africa’s economic and social challenges,” Gungubele said.