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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: DRAFT POLICY GAZETTED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
- 10 April 2026
- Communications & Digital Technologies
- SA Legal Academy
The Department of Communications & Digital Technologies has gazetted and called for input by 10 June 2026 on a long overdue draft national artificial intelligence (AI) policy.
According to a media statement on the two recent Cabinet meetings at which the proposed new policy was approved for release into the public domain, its intention is to ‘strengthen government’s ability to regulate and adopt AI responsibly, while encouraging local innovation, supporting job creation and improving access to AI skills’.
The statement also noted a commitment to:
- ‘cultural preservation’
- ‘international integration’
- ‘responsible governance’, and
- ‘human‑centred’, ethical deployment.
Recognising that ‘risk profiles differ across sectors’, the draft policy recommends a phased approach to implementation.
Against that backdrop, the document explores a wide range of issues including:
- the ‘significant obstacles’ to AI’s ‘inclusive adoption’ and ‘widespread deployment’ such as:
- ‘historical inequalities’
- ‘persistent digital divides’, and
- ‘outdated regulatory frameworks’
- the importance of ‘fostering advancements in key sectors’ with specific reference to:
- healthcare
- agriculture
- education
- industrial development, and
- public safety
- ‘intergenerational equity’
- misinformation, disinformation and other harmful online practices
- risk assessment and mitigation strategy, and
- institutional arrangements.
The policy development process appears to have begun in April 2024 with a national government summit and the limited circulation of a planning document. This was followed in August the same year by the release of a draft national policy framework. SA Legal Academy reported on both documents at the time of their release.
- draft policy
- Cabinet media statement
- April 2024 SA Legal Academy report
- November 2024 SA Legal Academy report
Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch
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