# 两名民政事务官员因被发现存在AI"幻觉"而被停职 - 来源：Hacker News 热门（buzzing.cc 中文翻译） - 作者：jruohonen - 发布时间：2026-05-08 18:12 - AIHOT 分数：62 - AIHOT 链接：https://aihot.virxact.com/items/cmowsfbss00jdsl90p50pevet - 原文链接：https://www.citizen.co.za/news/home-affairs-officials-suspended-ai-hallucinations ## AI 摘要 南非民政事务部门两名官员因AI系统产生“幻觉”被停职。AI“幻觉”指人工智能输出错误或虚构信息，此次事件暴露了政府AI应用中的可靠性问题。该新闻在科技社区引发关注，在Hacker News上获得100点讨论。事件涉及两名官员，突显了AI技术在决策支持中的风险，需加强系统验证和监管措施。 ## 正文 Home » News Two Home Affairs officials suspended after AI ‘hallucinations’ found in policy paper By Jarryd Westerdale Journalist 4 minute read 1 May 2026 08:48 am RELATED ARTICLES ‘Racist thuggery’ condemned after second night of disorder in Northern Ireland Taking AI to debt collection as credit stress hits millions AI hallucinations were found in the Department of Home Affairs' revised white paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection. Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is the latest arm of government to have discovered the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its policy papers. The department on Thursday announced the suspension of two officials associated with a key policy document that recently underwent a revision. One official suspended on Thursday is the Chief Director of the citizenship and immigration unit, with the suspension of the director involved in drafting the document to be effected at the start of the new week. DHA acknowledged the “embarrassment caused” and stated it would use the incident as a way to modernise its processes. “Moving forward, the department will also design and implement AI checks and declarations as part of its internal approval processes,” the department stated. WWDC: Apple turns to Google as Siri gets overhaul, this is what you need to know Policy reviews incoming The discrepancies discovered by the department relate to the reference list attached to the revised white paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection. These references were deemed to have been “hallucinations”, the term used to describe erroneous or fictitious large language model outputs that occur due to a lack of credible data. “It seems that these references were generated and attached to the document after the fact, as they are not cited in the body of the text. “In addition to implementing precautionary suspensions, the department has appointed two independent law firms to respectively manage the disciplinary process and review all policy documents produced by the department dating back to 30 November 2022,” DHA stated. The review date was chosen as this was the period when the first large language model – ChatGPT – was released for public use. RELATED ARTICLES ‘Racist thuggery’ condemned after second night of disorder in Northern Ireland Taking AI to debt collection as credit stress hits millions ‘Adapt to keep up’ The suspensions come a week after the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) was forced to withdraw its own policy document on AI. As with DHA, ficticious sources and citations were found to be present in the draft National AI Policy. “The most plausible explanation is that AI-generated citations were included without proper verification. This should not have happened,” stated Minister Solly Malatsi. The draft AI policy is set to be reworked, with the DHA also withdrawing the reference list attached to its document. However, DHA maintains that the revised policy on citizenship, immigration and refugees “continues to accurately reflect the government’s position”, and stands by its contents. Government must respond to all looming threats “These measures came about through an extensive process of cross-departmental collaboration and public consultation, and are not materially affected by the apparent AI hallucinations contained in the standalone reference list,” DHA confirmed. The department accepted AI’s growing use in society and said institutions should work harder to properly harness its benefits. “It is a transformative but disruptive technology that is changing how organisations operate across the private and public sectors. We must now adapt to keep up,” DHA concluded. Ramaphosa walks tightrope on migration crisis Read more on these topics EDITOR'S CHOICE Download our app Get the latest news and updates on Whatsapp Support Local Journalism RELATED WWDC: Apple turns to Google as Siri gets overhaul, this is what you need to know