South Africa, April 21 -- AI governance, search habits, brand safety issues, and economic pressures all affect one another. For example, a new law about AI use can impact both a company's reputation and its risk profile. This means communications teams need to work closely with governance, risk, leadership, and public accountability teams, not just add messaging after decisions are made.

South Africa's draft AI policy, which proposes a National AI Commission, an Ethics Board and a Regulatory Authority, is open for public comment until 10 June 2026. On its own, that is a significant policy development. It is also an important communications signal. It suggests that AI is moving more firmly into the public accountability space, which means...