In South Africa, where AI adoption intersects with critical sectors such as energy, agriculture, and public services, security is the currency of progress. Every dataset, model, and automation layer has to operate within a framework of integrity and accountability. Without that assurance, development outcomes and growth trajectories become worrying.
With the recent conclusion of the G20 Summit in South Africa, one of its focuses was on AI for Sustainable Development. The G20’s focus on AI for Sustainable Development highlights that the success of AI-driven innovation will depend on the strength of the digital trust behind it. The scope of AI’s increasing integration into almost every facet of society really drives that point home.
From climate forecasting and precision farming to financial inclusion and smart infrastructure, AI is helping nations unlock new efficiencies and social value, but unsecured AI poses a systemic sovereign development risk.
Richard Ford, Group CTO at Integrity360, advises that while AI offers immense opportunities for South Africa from climate forecasting and precision farming to smart infrastructure, its success hinges entirely on the strength of digital trust and cybersecurity.
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He explains: AI systems that optimize resources or forecast economic trends rely fully on the quality and security of their data. When protected, they deliver stronger impact, helping achieve climate goals, improve access to services, and support fair growth. When they’re left exposed, they create systemic risks that undermine trust and the very foundations of sustainable development.
Richard offers expert insight on how South Africa can secure its path to a sustainable future by prioritizing protection and accountability.
From enabler to risk multiplier
Every AI system relies on data inputs that shape its decisions, from predicting energy demand to allocating healthcare resources. If that data is tampered with or biased due to weak cybersecurity controls, the AI’s outputs become unreliable. The result is flawed decisions that can amplify inequality rather than reduce it.
In practical terms, a manipulated AI model, say, used to optimize agricultural yields, could misallocate water resources and directly or indirectly distort market prices, with lasting economic and environmental effects.
In the private sector, IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report found data breaches linked to AI-driven analytics systems are already costing South African companies millions—not only in remediation but also in lost trust and reputational damage. IBM’s report also reveals that South African organizations still face one of the longest breach detection timelines globally (averaging 255 days), signaling that investment in digital transformation continues to outpace advances in cybersecurity resilience.
AI can accelerate sustainable development, but only if it’s governed securely, transparently, and accountably.
AI security starts with governance
AI security is part of governance, a framework that brings together technology, compliance, and ethics. Building sustainable AI means creating systems with accountability, transparency, and ongoing oversight at their core.
Data integrity
Sustainable AI begins with reliable data. Whether used for climate research or financial inclusion, data must be accurate, protected, and trustworthy. Strong cybersecurity (including encryption, identity management, and continuous monitoring) protects that integrity. Once data is compromised, every decision built on it becomes flawed or compromised.
Accountability and POPIA
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) sets strict rules for how organizations handle personal data. AI increases this responsibility through its large-scale use of data and third-party tools. Breaches in AI systems can bring serious legal, financial, and reputational consequences. POPIA compliance must therefore expand into fully fledged AI governance, ensuring that personal data is managed securely and ethically—whether its purpose is large or small.
Boardroom oversight
AI governance begins at the top. Boards and executives need to ensure their investment in AI-driven sustainability is matched by equal investment in cybersecurity and oversight. Leadership decisions today will decide whether AI strengthens resilience or creates new and compounding risks.
Security by design: From pilot to policy
Sustainable AI governance works best when security is built in from the start and shared across the entire organization. For leaders, this means shifting from reacting to risks to designing systems where security is a built-in strength.
When organizations adopt these principles, cybersecurity shifts from being a cost of doing business to a catalyst for trust, innovation, and competitive advantage.
The African opportunity
Nowhere is the link between secure governance and sustainable AI more critical than in Africa. With a young population, rapid urbanization, and expanding digital infrastructure, the continent has an extraordinary opportunity to use AI to address structural challenges, from water management to healthcare delivery.
The same technologies that can drive inclusion and resilience also carry immense risk when left unprotected. Secure AI enables reliable climate data, equitable public service delivery, and fair access to financial systems. Insecure AI, by contrast, threatens to widen divides and destabilize progress at a time when it is needed most. The choice facing African leaders is therefore strategic, not technical: security is the path to sustainability.
The G20’s renewed emphasis on AI governance is a crucial moment for policymakers and business leaders.
