Using AI to stop corruption before it takes hold

An innovative ISS tracking system provides early warning of state capture, allowing intervention before public institutions are compromised.

Published on 28 October 2026 in Impact

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has developed and proven a powerful new tool for early intervention against systemic corruption and state capture in South African government institutions.

The Anti-Corruption Tracker Information System (ACTis) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patterns and warning signs based on data from multiple public sources. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

ACTis enables an objective evaluation of risks and institutional resilience, and can prompt interventions before corruption becomes entrenched. Early detection of corruption is one of the principles in South Africa’s National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

ISS is sharing ACTis reports with various institutions, including the Auditor-General of South Africa. The reports are also a rich source of intelligence for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), an independent statutory body set up to probe serious corruption in state institutions.

‘ACTis is extremely beneficial to the work of the SIU,’ says Pranesh Maharaj, SIU Chief Programme Portfolio Officer. ‘ACTis enables the SIU to have maximum impact in the shortest time and is a more efficient way of getting to the heart of the corruption problem.

‘It gives us early warnings of potential issues that need investigation, and helps us identify where to target proactive prevention campaigns. Investigators traditionally spend a lot of time on the analysis of data. Using ACTis to filter the data and identify risks and anomalies frees up resources to focus on more targeted investigations.

‘Having the ISS as our strategic partner gives effect to the whole of society approach of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.’

ACTis methodology draws on the findings of the Zondo inquiry into state capture, international research and the work of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council.

‘Zondo exposed the cost of acting too late against state capture and systemic corruption,’ says ACTis Project Leader Nicky Prins. ‘Weakened institutions with poor oversight resulted in corruption costing South Africa between R500 billion and R1.5 trillion over four years from 2014 to 2018.’

ACTis enables the Special Investigating Unit to have maximum impact in the shortest time’

Prins explains that ‘Early intervention protects our public institutions. ACTis means we don’t have to wait till an institution is looted and collapses before taking action.’

ACTis features an AI tool custom-developed for the ISS, combined with the judgement and expertise of human analysts. It was developed by Murmur Intelligence, a South African data analytics and software consultancy that creates tools to map and analyse unstructured data. Previous Murmur Intelligence work with the ISS includes monitoring online disinformation during South African and Kenyan elections and in South Africa’s xenophobia hotspots.

Murmur Intelligence used publicly available AI agents such as Claude and ChatGPT to build ACTis. The system can rapidly search hundreds of thousands of documents and accurately detect corruption and state capture indicators as defined by the ISS.

‘We are empowering ISS analysts to do superhuman work,’ says Murmur Intelligence Co-founder Kyle Findlay. ‘ACTis can empower researchers to do in minutes what highly-trained analysts may not manage in months. It enables us to see the bigger picture in disaggregated data from multiple sources. This is AI being applied in the public interest, with a strong element of human control.’

ACTis scans public documents including court records, audit reports, parliamentary proceedings, investigative journalism and civil society reports. ISS analysts then assess the credibility, context and relevance of the evidence before flagging patterns that correspond with the features of systemic corruption and state capture. These include improper appointments, a climate of fear or favour, corrupt awards, financial malpractice, obstructions to accountability and shadow networks.

‘Current responses to corruption are too reactive,’ says Prins. ‘Now we can make sense of data and see patterns in real time, and share it with people who are defending public institutions.’

ACTis has scanned hundreds of thousands of documents to date, and the team has produced 60 institutional reports spanning national, provincial and local government. A July analysis of 10 water sector institutions found that six showed signs of improper senior appointments, with limited consequence management, intimidation of staff and victimisation of whistleblowers. There were indications of financial malpractice in nine and irregular contract awards in seven.

ACTis reports can prompt parliamentary committees to question political leaders about an institution. They can support interventions by authorities such as the Public Service Commission, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, or National Treasury. Civil society can use the reports to advocate for specific reforms or increased accountability.

The full ACTis platform is scheduled to launch by early December 2026 and is expected to be monitoring up to 200 institutions in South Africa by the end of 2027.

For more information, contact:

Nicky Prins, ISS: [email protected]