Suspended officials used artificial intelligence to translate, edit national AI policy
Two suspended South African officials used AI to translate and edit the country’s national AI policy, which was later withdrawn due to fake academic references generated by AI hallucinations. Minister Solly Malatsi and the Communications and Digital Technologies Department confirmed the suspension while facing scrutiny over undetected AI use in the policy’s creation.
South Africa’s Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Solly Malatsi, confirmed that two unnamed officials were placed on precautionary suspension after using artificial intelligence to translate and edit the national AI policy. The policy had to be withdrawn due to its reliance on fake academic references created by AI hallucinations. The revelation came during a Tuesday briefing to the portfolio committee, where Malatsi addressed how the AI-generated content evaded internal departmental checks. Director General Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani explained that the officials claimed to have translated content from a Spanish document sourced from Chile, which formed the basis for the disputed references. The suspension follows an investigation that uncovered the AI’s role in the policy’s creation. Malatsi stated that the officials will remain suspended pending a thorough investigation to determine accountability. The incident has drawn criticism, with calls for consequences for those responsible for the AI-generated inaccuracies in the policy. The department admitted that internal processes failed to detect the AI’s involvement, raising questions about oversight and transparency in policy development. The policy’s withdrawal underscores growing concerns over AI’s unchecked use in official documents, particularly in sectors requiring rigorous fact-checking and academic integrity.
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