We build AI tools for policymaking in South Africa and beyond and help policymakers use them responsibly.

Our AI for Policy Platform gives policymakers secure access to a suite of large language model tools, designed for minimal data retention, for everyday tasks. We pair the tools with training for public servants and policy professionals, and we work with departments to assess and build their readiness to adopt AI.

PROJECTS

AI for policy platform

Africa’s first AI for policy platform gives South African government users secure, single-entry access to a suite of large language model tools, designed for minimal data retention and built for everyday policy work such as summarising documents, comparing policies and drafting briefs.

Identifying Barriers to Investment project

iBIT is a WhatsApp-based AI chatbot that lets businesses describe the policy and regulatory barriers holding back their investment and turns those conversations into structured evidence for reform.

Catalogue of AI tools in government

The Catalogue of AI tools in government is a searchable, curated record of how AI is used in and by governments in South Africa and elsewhere, built on the EU’s Public Sector Tech Watch dataset, filtered for South African relevance and updated as new examples emerge.

AI training

We deliver AI training across the public sector, including webinars for policymakers and training for Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff. We also lead the establishment of a postgraduate programme in applied AI at SU.

Project

LEAD

  • Prof. Willem Fourie

    Professor, Chair of Policy Innovation and Policy Innovation Lab Lead

    Prof. Willem Fourie

    Professor, Chair of Policy Innovation and Policy Innovation Lab Lead

    Willem works at the intersection of building practical AI capabilities for the public sector and ensuring AI remains safe and aligned. As the Chair of Policy Innovation at Stellenbosch University and the founder of the Policy Innovation Lab, he leads the multidisciplinary team that ships AI tools, designs AI training, supports policy reform and drives social impact. The Lab’s work includes the development of an AI for Policy platform and support for digital public infrastructure policy reform initiatives.

    Willem is an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow with a PhD in social ethics and has advised the UN, AU, EU, and the South African government. He also has hands-on experience in the tech sector, where he co-founded a legal-tech NLP startup and worked for a global tech company.

    Alongside the Lab’s core mandate, he is developing a frontier AI safety and alignment agenda for Africa. This research focuses on instrumental goals and bottom-up value alignment that can be implemented in African contexts.

Project

CONTACT

  • Prof. Willem Fourie

    Professor, Chair of Policy Innovation and Policy Innovation Lab Lead

    Prof. Willem Fourie

    Professor, Chair of Policy Innovation and Policy Innovation Lab Lead

    Willem works at the intersection of building practical AI capabilities for the public sector and ensuring AI remains safe and aligned. As the Chair of Policy Innovation at Stellenbosch University and the founder of the Policy Innovation Lab, he leads the multidisciplinary team that ships AI tools, designs AI training, supports policy reform and drives social impact. The Lab’s work includes the development of an AI for Policy platform and support for digital public infrastructure policy reform initiatives.

    Willem is an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow with a PhD in social ethics and has advised the UN, AU, EU, and the South African government. He also has hands-on experience in the tech sector, where he co-founded a legal-tech NLP startup and worked for a global tech company.

    Alongside the Lab’s core mandate, he is developing a frontier AI safety and alignment agenda for Africa. This research focuses on instrumental goals and bottom-up value alignment that can be implemented in African contexts.

News

Artificial Intelligence

Update to our catalogue of AI public sector use cases – June 2026

We have updated our database of AI tools in government. We use the catalogue to find examples of use cases Ramaphosa mentioned at the Google Cloud summit.

AI access could become a social policy question, Fourie tells Bonn sustainability conference

Artificial intelligence is reshaping international cooperation, making it conceivable that artificial intelligence could be treated as a matter of social policy, Prof Willem Fourie told delegates at an international sustainability conference in Bonn. His input explored the governance imperatives that emerge as AI becomes embedded in public and economic life.

AI transitions in a global context

Dr Makone reflects on the massive potentials and risks of AI at the research programme 'AI Transitions in a Global Context'.

SU Policy Innovation Lab helps equip Parliament for AI

The Policy Innovation Lab trained more than 200 Members of Parliament on artificial intelligence, strengthening Parliament's capacity to oversee AI in government. The programme spanned technical, ethical and legislative dimensions, and was acknowledged by Deputy Speaker Dr Annelie Lotriet as an example of universities supporting public sector capacity-building.

How the Policy Innovation Lab is helping increase business investment through AI

South Africa needs more investment, but policy and regulatory barriers often remain invisible to decision-makers. The Policy Innovation Lab's iBIT chatbot uses AI to help businesses report these obstacles directly, generating evidence that can support more responsive policymaking, targeted reforms and a stronger investment environment.

Gates Foundation visit to Stellenbosch highlights catalytic funding and South-South learning in action

A Gates Foundation visit to Stellenbosch highlights how catalytic funding is driving investment, advancing digital public infrastructure, and enabling AI for policymaking. The work supports South-South learning and builds scalable tools and institutional capacity across African governments.

Policy Innovation Lab and AI Safety South Africa co-host AI safety and cooperative AI workshop

A workshop at Stellenbosch University brought together researchers to strengthen South Africa’s role in AI safety. Discussions covered cooperative AI, governance, and alignment, highlighting local research, international collaboration, and efforts to make advanced AI systems safer, auditable and contextually relevant.

Policy Innovation Lab joins global network for international collaboration on emerging technologies

Stellenbosch University’s Policy Innovation Lab has joined the Global Network of Internet & Society Centers ...

SU part of global team delivering landmark G20 digital agenda analysis

Stellenbosch University's Policy Innovation Lab and the TUM Think Tank have handed over a landmark report on the G20's digital agenda to South African government partners. The report traces how four consecutive Global South presidencies shaped global digital policy across digital transformation, digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Responding to a national disaster: Policy Playbook leverages AI to fast-track the fight against GBV in South Africa

Stellenbosch University’s Policy Innovation Lab led the development of the FemAI Policy Playbook, launched as South Africa confronts gender-based violence as a newly declared national disaster. The Playbook sets out how AI can improve the implementation of South Africa's extensive policy framework aimed at ending gender-based violence.

Update to our catalogue of AI public sector use cases

Find out about the latest update to our Catalogue of AI tools used by governments worldwide.

Strengthening the LMU-SU partnership through collaboration on interdisciplinarity

The recent LMU–SU workshop on interdisciplinarity laid the foundation for translation the institutions' formal partnership into substantive collaboration. Scholars from both institutions compared approaches to interdisciplinary teaching and the role of AI, highlighting clear alignment and identifying opportunities for joint programme development and future research cooperation.

Synthesising G20 messages on AI, DPI and digital transformation

Over the past four years, the G20 has developed an increasingly coherent digital governance framework through policy innovation in digital transformation, Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence. A synthesis by the Policy Innovation Lab, TUM Think Tank and Harvard’s Global Network analyses over 200 G20 documents, with final reports to be released in late 2025.

Google and policymakers join SU’s Policy Innovation Lab to explore the future of AI in policymaking

Stellenbosch University’s Policy Innovation Lab hosted a workshop with Google and the Presidency of South Africa to explore how AI can transform policymaking. The workshop focused on practical, human-centred innovation to support better decisions, more effective policymaking, and ultimately significant improvements to citizens' lives.

Webinar examines gender and artificial intelligence in South Africa

The FemAI webinar, co-hosted by the Policy Innovation Lab, brought together voices from law, policy and technology to explore how AI impacts women and why women must shape it. The session called for more inclusive, transparent and accountable AI across Africa.

Lab Engages with Western Cape Digital Transformation Plan

The Western Cape government invited the Lab to participate in a academic consultation on their Digital Transformation Plan 2.0.

Update to our catalogue of AI public sector use cases

We outline the findings of the most recent update of our database of AI tools used in the public sector. This time our update included a number of South African tools.

Stellenbosch dialogue advances AI and human rights convention

The Policy Innovation Lab joined a high-level dialogue on AI and human rights with TUM’s IEAI and LMU, supporting and unpacking the implications of the 'Munich Convention on AI, Data and Human Rights'. From Stellenbosch, the Lab's experts highlighted Global South voices and outlined interoperable standards for human rights-based AI governance.

Collaborating across continents on AI policy at the Technical University of Munich Think Tank in Germany

During a recent series of engagements with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany, the Policy Innovation Lab presented at a workshop hosted by the TUM Think Tank and engaged in mutual learning on policy with and for AI.

Presenting on global AI governance at FARI workshop in Belgium

James Haw recently represented the Policy Innovation Lab at a FARI-hosted workshop in Brussels, sharing lessons on AI in government and reflecting on the global need for people-centred, adaptive, and collaborative AI governance frameworks.

Supporting the Deep Learning IndabaX in Stellenbosch

Tino Muzondidya, Master’s student and Research Assistant at the Policy Innovation Lab, recently volunteered at Deep Learning IndabaX South Africa, deepening his expertise in ethical AI and data science while actively contributing to Africa’s dynamic machine learning community.

Lessons from civic tech review of citizen-generated data tool

Lessons from a civic tech review of our citizen-generated data tool reveal the ethical, financial, and design trade-offs in deploying AI for policymaking. Our WhatsApp chatbot captures feedback to inform smarter, more responsive governance in South Africa.

Webinar series equips policymakers with foundational AI knowledge

Through a series of webinars, the Policy Innovation Lab recently trained government officials, policymakers, academics, and civil society leaders in the responsible use of AI. The sessions equipped participants to navigate the ethical, technical, and policy challenges related to the use of AI in the public sector.

Supporting the Gates Foundation’s 20-year vision through AI-enabled policymaking

Bill Gates recently outlined the Gates Foundation’s priorities for the next two decades. In South Africa, the Policy Innovation Lab, a Foundation grantee, is applying AI to strengthen policymaking. This work helps governments respond more effectively to complex challenges, ultimately supporting more people on a path to opportunity and prosperity.

AI in Government: The Lab’s free webinar series for policymakers

Join us for a free, four-part webinar series on AI in government. From 2-5 June, explore AI basics, policy trends, ethics and real-world applications designed for policymakers and public sector professionals.

Policy Innovation Lab beta-tests platform for LLM-based tools

The Policy Innovation Lab recently got South Africa policymakers together to test our new platform which hosts a number of LLM-based tools for supporting policymaking.

Artificial General Intelligence is coming. Should we be afraid?

In this opinion piece, published by News24, Prof. Willem Fourie explains artificial general intelligence (AGI), outlines its capability levels, and provides thoughts on its meaning for society as AGI becomes a concrete reality.