Specno has urged the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) to expedite the process to finalise a comprehensive national policy on artificial intelligence (AI).
This, as neighbouring African nations Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda are already on their way to developing their own AI strategies and policies, says the digital innovation agency.
The DCDT is at the forefront of AI regulation in SA. Following the release of the draft national AI plan document in April 2024, the DCDT published the national policy framework for AI in October, and requested feedback from the ICT industry and other stakeholders.
However, there has been no reported progress.
In a statement, Specno says the publication of the national AI policy framework marked a crucial first step in developing a final comprehensive policy around the use of the technology in SA.
Daniel Novitzkas, co-founder and chairman at Specno, states that AI technology continues to develop around the world, creating the urgency for SA to adopt a framework to leverage these innovations to the maximum.
“As the draft policy indicates, AI can address many social demands in critical economic sectors, such as agriculture, healthcare, education and public safety. The industry alone can create many new job opportunities, alleviating South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
“AI can also go a long way in future-proofing South Africa with its current challenges. The country remains a water-scarce nation, with changing climate patterns threatening the sustainability of water supply.
“AI-powered sensors installed in pipelines can detect leaks and predict failures before they get out of hand, while machine learning models can analyse past data to optimise water usage. In other instances, AI technology has the capability to process satellite images to predict droughts ahead of time, enabling the agricultural sector to plan.”
According to law firm Michalsons, the national AI policy will be the foundation for creating AI regulations and potentially an AI Act in SA. Once implemented, it aims to leverage AI to drive economic transformation, foster social equity and enhance SA's global competitiveness in AI innovation.
To support this digital transformation, firms like Microsoft have made announcements regarding SA’s AI landscape, proclaiming investment in AI skills training, with plans to train one million South Africans in AI, machine learning and cyber security by 2026.
Meanwhile, MTN has partnered with China Telecom and Huawei to enhance its 5G, cloud, services AI capabilities and business solutions.
“While AI is nowhere near at advanced stages, such as building and developing applications on its own, and this has been the subject of much discussion around the future of AI, it nonetheless underscores the need for industry experts to play a primary role in leveraging its full value.
“Therefore, government has its role to play; expedite a policy framework, with the inputs and endorsement of industry stakeholders so that South Africa can maintain a competitive-edge against its counterparts on the African continent and continue building a name for itself,” Novitzkas concludes.
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