Fraud detection, improved service delivery and effective administration are just some of the wide-ranging applications artificial intelligence (AI) holds for South Africa’s government, says Prof Willem Fourie, head of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Policy Innovation Lab.

With this in mind, and to increase public sector trust in the use of AI, a team at the Lab, led by Dr Gray Manicom, has compiled a searchable online catalogue of AI tools. “This searchable catalogue benefits both the government and businesses seeking to leverage AI in the South African public sector by helping them find use cases where AI is currently being used overseas,” explains Manicom.

“By developing and applying a methodology to identify AI tools currently used in the EU relevant to South Africa, we can also increase public trust in and understanding of AI use in the public sphere by making real-life applications more accessible.”

In a recent study, Stellenbosch Business School graduate Jan Hofmeyr noted that, applied correctly, AI can significantly improve the reach and quality of the government’s services.

“The rapid growth in the range and capabilities of AI will in coming years present the government with ever-expanding opportunities to improve the reach and quality of services to South Africans. If they leverage it wisely, this could hold promise for South Africa, and other developing countries, to leapfrog stubborn, often structural, developmental challenges,” he said.

Manicom says: “By basing our analysis on AI tools currently used in a jurisdiction known for having the best applications of and regulations for AI, we can also increase public trust in and understanding of AI use in the public sphere (in South Africa) by making real-life applications more accessible.”

The Lab’s catalogue, which is based on the Public Sector Tech Watch dataset of digital tools used in the European Union, will be updated biannually as more cases come to light during its work. Although using tools applied in Europe, this catalogue has been filtered to cases relevant to SA. These include tools for communication between government and citizens, for analysis and monitoring, for administration, for fraud detection and many other wide-ranging applications.

“We tried to be as pragmatic as possible, considering the relatively high needs of South Africa and the relatively low digital skills and infrastructure in government,” adds Manicom.