South Africa has released a draft national AI policy aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence adoption while ensuring ethical oversight and economic inclusion. The proposal is open for public comment and outlines a broad strategy to position the country as a leader in AI innovation across Africa. The policy recommends creating new institutions, including a National AI Commission, an AI Ethics Board, and an AI Regulatory Authority. These bodies would oversee AI development, enforce ethical standards, and handle issues such as accountability and harm caused by AI systems. To stimulate growth, the government proposes incentives like tax breaks, grants, and subsidies to support startups and private-sector collaboration. A major focus is also placed on strengthening digital infrastructure, including investment in supercomputing capacity, data centers, and partnerships with global cloud providers. However, the draft highlights concerns about dependence on foreign technology infrastructure, particularly from the U.S. and China, and emphasizes the need to build more local capacity for data security and technological independence.
Read more here
