South Africa will not align with either Washington or Beijing on artificial intelligence, communications minister Solly Malatsi told TechCentral, rejecting the central premise of a Boston Consulting Group study arguing that the window for countries to hedge between the two AI superpowers is closing. The study, "The Great Divide: How the US and China Are Splitting the AI World," published on 30 June, found the two countries are building separate and increasingly incompatible technology stacks. BCG’s 2024 assessment found countries could still mix and match across both, but it now warns neutrality may soon become harder to sustain. South Africa is not named in the report, but nearly every condition BCG identifies as pushing a middle-income country towards one stack is present, and the country will not have a published national AI policy before next year. Asked whether South Africa’s membership of the China-led World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation carries any commitment on technology standards or procurement, Malatsi said it carries no binding commitment. He stated South Africa engages with all such organisations to share knowledge and advance global cooperation, not to align state technology choices with any single geopolitical camp. State buying remains governed by existing procurement law, with an approach emphasising open standards, interoperability and avoiding vendor lock-in. "South Africa is not choosing sides in the divide," Malatsi said. South Africa has signed the agreement establishing Waico, which was established in Shanghai in July.