A Systematic Analysis of Ethical and Governance Concerns Relating to Artificial Intelligence Adoption in the South African Public Sector

Globally, artificial intelligence (AI)-related technologies are rapidly reforming public services in a modern way. Contemporary public administrations are experiencing increased operational efficiency, streamlined work processes and greater productivity through AI-driven technologies. However, emerging economies such as South Africa still face AI ethical and governance concerns that hamper their full potential. Therefore, this study proposes an integrated conceptual framework for ethical and governance concerns of AI in the South African public sector, which was developed based on the findings. Underpinned by the constructivist worldview, this study employs a qualitative approach using the rapid systematic analysis of literature to investigate ethical and governance concerns of AI in the South African public sector. The rapid systematic literature analysis focused on a comprehensive search of sources from the Web of Science, Science Direct and ProQuest databases for the period ranging from 2023 to 2025. A total number of 34 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers and academic book chapters were included in the systematic literature analysis. The key findings reveal that ethical and governance concerns, such as data privacy, security, bias, public trust, fairness, equity, accountability, transparency and regulatory framework, are fundamental in designing and implementing AI-enabled technologies in the public sector. Further, the study’s findings suggest an integrated conceptual model that can be considered a valuable technique in adopting AI in the public sector. The model intends to provide a structural approach to improve AI adoption not only in the South African public sector. Decision-makers, policymakers, practitioners, and strategists of the public sector can find the implications of this study significant in AI adoption while taking into cognizance ethical and governance concerns.