JOHANNESBURG, April 27 (Reuters) - South Africa has withdrawn its first draft national AI ​policy after ⁠revelations that it contained fictitious sources in ‌its reference list which appeared to have been AI-generated.

"The most ​plausible explanation is that AI-generated citations were included without proper ​verification. This ​should not have happened," Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi said.

"This failure is ⁠not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy," he wrote in a post on X ​on Sunday.

The ‌policy, unveiled ⁠this month ⁠for public comment before finalization, sought to position South Africa ​as a continental leader in ‌AI innovation while addressing ethical, ⁠social and economic challenges.

It outlined plans to establish new institutions, including a National AI Commission, an AI Ethics Board and an AI Regulatory Authority, and to create incentives such as tax breaks, grants, and subsidies to encourage private-sector collaboration.

Malatsi said there would be consequences for ‌those responsible for drafting the policy, and did ⁠not say when a new one ​would be released.

"This unacceptable lapse proves why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial ​intelligence is ‌critical. It's a lesson we take with ⁠humility," he wrote.