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AI POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS APPROACHES NEXT MILESTONE
- 26 February 2026
- Communications & Digital Technologies
- SA Legal Academy
A draft national policy on AI is poised to enter the next phase of the development process, which is consideration by the ‘economic cluster committee’. If approved, it will be presented to the relevant Cabinet cluster committee before being submitted to Cabinet. This was announced during a recent meeting of the National Assembly’s Communications & Digital Technologies Committee, when members were briefed on a range of related matters, including the development of national ethical guidelines and standards.
According to a presentation document circulated at the meeting, the draft policy prioritises:
- ‘capacity and talent development’ (by ‘building national AI skills through education, training, and industry collaboration, enabled by robust digital infrastructure’)
- ‘inclusive growth and job creation’ (by ‘advancing innovation, supporting startups and micro, small and medium enterprises … (as well as) unlocking new economic opportunities’
- ‘responsible … governance’ (through ‘safeguards on safety, security, privacy, and professional accountability’ with special attention to mis/disinformation and deepfakes)
- fairness (and bias mitigation)
- ‘cultural preservation and global integration’ (by ‘protect(ing) … cultural values while strengthening international collaboration and competitiveness’), and
- a ‘human-centred’ approach to ‘oversight, transparency, and (system) explainability’.
The draft policy may well be informed by input received on an AI discussion document released into the public domain during an April 2024 AI summit. As SA Legal Academy reported at the time, no call was made for comments.
Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch
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