{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-17T09:08:26.419Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"public-sector","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2026","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-south-africa-communications-department-suspends-two-officials-over-undeclared-ai-use-in-draft-ai-policy","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"has placed two officials on precautionary suspension with immediate effect, pending investigation into the draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"two officials responsible for the withdrawn National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy have been placed on precautionary suspension","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The department placed two officials on precautionary suspension, pending an investigation into the draft national AI policy.","causal_attribution":"The department's statement of 30 April and the minister's later briefing to Parliament."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The irresponsible use of AI tools compromised the integrity of the policy document","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The department said the irresponsible use of AI tools compromised the integrity of the policy document.","causal_attribution":"The department's own statement."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"placed on precautionary suspension for failing to declare they used AI to craft the document ... it has been said that ChatGPT was used in as far as the editing of the document itself","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"were put on precautionary suspension for failing to declare their use of AI on the policy that had to be withdrawn","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The minister told the portfolio committee that the officials were suspended for failing to declare that they used AI, and that it had been said ChatGPT was used in editing the document.","causal_attribution":"The minister's statements at the 26 May committee briefing, as reported by EWN; one origin."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The policy, which was gazetted on April 10 for public comment","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The draft policy was gazetted for public comment on 10 April 2026.","causal_attribution":"TimesLive."},{"id":"c5","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"The Draft National AI Policy published for public comment contains several completely fictitious sources on its reference list.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"Article One sent a letter to the minister listing six fictitious sources in the policy it believed were likely generated by AI","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The draft policy's reference list contained fictitious academic sources.","causal_attribution":"News24's own check of the reference list and Article One's letter to the minister."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Malatsi withdrew the policy on Sunday, 26 April 2026 after News24 published the findings of its investigation","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The minister withdrew the policy on 26 April 2026 after News24 published its findings.","causal_attribution":"MyBroadband."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"it’s clear that there was massive oversight and nondisclosure around the use of AI in the formulation of the policy","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The minister told the committee there had been massive oversight and non-disclosure around the use of AI in the formulation of the policy and in its references.","causal_attribution":"The minister at the 26 May briefing, as reported by TimesLive."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"This document, we’re told, is from Chile and they had to translate it from Spanish into English and that is the source of which the information emanates in terms of those references contained in the draft policy","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The director-general told the committee that the officials used AI to translate a document from Chile from Spanish into English and that this document was the source of the references in the draft.","causal_attribution":"The director-general at the 26 May briefing, as reported by EWN."}],"effects":[{"label":"two officials placed on precautionary suspension over undeclared AI use in the draft policy","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-05-01-two-officials-suspended-over-ai-generated-draft-ai-policy/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-17 (HTTP 200). Published 1 May 2026; reports the department's statement on the suspensions.","independence_group":"dcdt-department-statement-30-april-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/05/26/two-officials-suspended-after-using-chatgpt-to-draft-south-africas-national-ai-policy","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-17 (HTTP 200). Published 26 May 2026; reports the minister's briefing to the portfolio committee.","independence_group":"portfolio-committee-briefing-26-may-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.ewn.co.za/suspended-officials-used-artificial-intelligence-to-translate-edit-national-ai-policy/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-17 (HTTP 200). Published 27 May 2026; reports the same committee briefing, including the director-general's account.","independence_group":"portfolio-committee-briefing-26-may-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/sci-tech/2026-05-26-malatsi-unveils-panel-to-guide-ai-policy-redraft-after-hallucination/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-17 (HTTP 200). Published 26 May 2026; reports the same committee briefing.","independence_group":"portfolio-committee-briefing-26-may-2026"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/644855-fake-ai-references-in-south-african-ai-policy-two-men-named-in-report.html","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-17 through an Internet Archive capture after the live page returned HTTP 403. Published 3 May 2026; reports the withdrawal, the Article One letter and the director-general's confirmation of the suspensions.","independence_group":"mybroadband-report-april-2026"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.news24.com/business/tech/govts-draft-ai-policy-cites-fictitious-references-experts-believe-are-ai-hallucinations-20260424-1085","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-17 through an Internet Archive capture after the live page returned HTTP 403; only the opening of the paywalled article was available. Published 24 April 2026.","independence_group":"news24-reference-investigation-april-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["work","public_services"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool generated the fictitious references; the minister refers to ChatGPT for editing and the director-general to an AI translation of a Chilean document.","The outcome of the investigation and any disciplinary action.","Whether the suspensions are paid."],"geography":{"basis":"The policy was drafted and gazetted by South Africa's Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, which suspended the two officials. Where the officials live is not used.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["ZA"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete adverse consequence of AI use: the department suspended two officials after a national policy document they were responsible for was withdrawn for citing fictitious sources, and the department and minister attribute the problem to undeclared use of AI tools, including ChatGPT for editing.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-17"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The department said the irresponsible use of AI tools compromised the integrity of the policy document, and the minister told Parliament that the two officials were suspended for not declaring their AI use and that ChatGPT had been used in editing the document. The officials used the AI tools and their output went into the draft (communicated_with); the department suspended them in response. Which tool produced which fictitious reference is not established: the director-general linked the references to an AI translation of a Chilean document.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"South Africa's communications department suspends two officials after its draft AI policy cited fictitious sources; minister says AI use went undeclared","summary":"South Africa's Department of Communications and Digital Technologies placed two officials on precautionary suspension with immediate effect, a step the director-general confirmed on 30 April 2026, pending an investigation into the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy, which had been gazetted for public comment on 10 April and was withdrawn after News24 and others found fictitious academic sources in its reference list. The department said the irresponsible use of AI tools had compromised the integrity of the document. Briefing Parliament's portfolio committee on 26 May, Minister Solly Malatsi said the two officials were suspended for failing to declare that they used AI, that it had been said ChatGPT was used in editing the document, and that there had been massive oversight and non-disclosure around the use of AI in the policy and its references. The director-general told the committee that the officials had used AI to translate a document from Chile from Spanish into English and that the references came from that document. A new expert panel is guiding a redraft. The officials are not named and the outcome of the investigation is not reported in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2026-04-10","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-04-24","aiSystem":"AI tools used in drafting South Africa's Draft National AI Policy; the minister told Parliament it had been said that ChatGPT was used in editing the document","aiProduct":"ChatGPT (reported)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the department and the minister, two officials were placed on precautionary suspension over undeclared AI use in a national policy document that was withdrawn for citing fictitious sources.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":2,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two people: the two officials the department placed on precautionary suspension (TimesLive's report of the department statement; EWN's report of the minister's briefing). The Home Affairs officials suspended over a separate white paper are a different event and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"ZA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-05-01-two-officials-suspended-over-ai-generated-draft-ai-policy/","primarySourceLabel":"TimesLive, Two officials suspended over AI-generated draft AI policy (1 May 2026)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-17T03:08:26.175626+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-17T03:08:26.175626+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["south-africa","public-sector","policy-document","fictitious-references","suspension"]}]}